Fairy Tail: Oberon
by Chuckling-Ghost
Summary: BEING REBOOTED
1. Chapter 1: Oby

Chapter 1-Oby

=Year X772=

Master Makarov paused as he heard the scream. He hadn't thought much of the tremendous crash that had sent birds all over the forest hurtling upwards to get away, strange things happened in the East Forest. The scream though was definitely human. It wasn't frightened, it sounded like it was in pain. Makarov debated for a moment whether or not to get involved and then the mark on his chest reminded him of who he was. He momentarily grew to his giant form to see if he could spot the crash and was stunned to see an entire chunk of the forest gone.

Not blown away or burned to a crisp just, gone. Like it had never been there at all. In the center of the perfectly round patch of dirt was a tiny figure in black. Makarov took three giant steps and was in the edge of the circle. He shrunk back down and ran to check on the mysterious figure, his mind racing as he wondered what could have destroyed the forest in such a way. As he approached the figure he could hear pained hissing breathing that was trying not to cry.

The boy had white hair and was wearing all black. His right hand was horribly mangled, and he was curled around it shaking and clutching his torso. Makarov was standing over him before he said anything, and as he looked he saw that even though the boy's clothing was shredded and covered in blood, except for the arm his body was totally unscathed. Makarov poked him, "What happened to you boy?"

Despite the apparently excruciating pain, the boy managed to spring away and land on his feet ready for a fight. It would've been very impressive if he hadn't used his injured hand to stop his skid and fallen forward onto his side gasping at the pain and trying not to scream again. Makarov smiled slightly and then wiped the smile from his face in favor of a stern expression, if the kid wanted a fight, then injured or not he'd get one. He didn't go any closer but, "I said, what happened to you boy? I can get you help for that arm, but only if you tell me who you are and what happened to you."

The boy managed to force his breathing back to steadiness and shove himself up onto his knees with his good hand and a grunt. "Don't bother," he growled as he laid his good hand to his injured one and snarled, "Arc of Time!" Makarov made a face as the boy's expression twisted with concentration and pain. A moment later the boy released the spell he was trying to execute panting, "On second thought," he grumbled as he ripped a strip of fabric loose from his clothes, held it in his teeth and started tying it around his arm with one hand, "If you've got something I can take this off and cauterize it with, I'd be grateful." Makarov smacked him in the head, "Don't be a fool lad, we can go get that fixed easily! I'm not helping you cut your own arm off!"

The boy pulled one leg up and then forced himself to stand, "Guess I'll be off then. I appreciate your concern. I'm going to find something to stop the bleeding." Makarov sighed as the boy started staggering off, "Damn stubborn brat's worse than Laxus." The boy froze and looked over his shoulder, "Laxus Dreyar? Are you Makarov?" Makarov frowned in confusion at the almost frightened expression on the boy's face, "Yes I am." The boy took off running without another word, tripped before he got fifty feet, managed to avoid landing on his injured arm and furiously tried to scramble away.

Makarov watched him in confusion, "Wait! Where are you going?!" The boy didn't answer and kept running. Makarov sighed angrily and then expanded his arm, effortlessly reaching out, "I SAID WAIT!" WHAM! His giant hand slammed down on the boy like a sack of bricks, earning Makarov a bellow of pain from the boy. Makarov strode over, "I see, you're from a Dark Guild and you're afraid I'll turn you in." The boy didn't answer and Makarov saw that he was barely conscious and shaking.

Makarov sighed again and grew until he was big enough to pick the boy up easily, "Porlyusica's gonna be mad as a hornet's nest."

==A Few Minutes Later==

"What happened to him?" Porlyusica asked as she examined the boy's arm, "I haven't seen damage this severe in years, and his magic power is completely gone." "Will he be alright?" Makarov asked. Porlyusica shook her head, "I'm not sure. He's from a Dark Guild you say? He must've gotten in a fight with someone bigger than he was." She started bandaging the boy's hand and then paused, "We need to get him out of these clothes so I can check the rest of his body for wounds." A moment later they had him out of his clothes and Makarov studied the emblem on the boy's shoulder as Porlyusica bandaged his hand, "I've never seen this mark before, it must be some new Dark Guild."

"You can question him when I'm done patching him up," Porlyusica warned. Makarov took a step back and let her finish. A little while later she stepped away, "He should be okay now. I want him to stay here for a few days so that I can make sure his arm will heal properly, and he'll need lots of rest." The boy's eyes cracked open, "Actually if I can have some water, I'll be out of your hair in no time." Porlyusica turned to glare at him, "Don't be ridiculous! Have you seen your hand? As much blood as you've probably lost you're not to get out of that bed for at least twenty four hours!"

The boy smiled weakly, "Most of my body was like my hand when I landed. Master doesn't fool around when he decides to kill something. I don't think anyone else would've survived that." Porlyusica and Makarov stared as he proceeded to explain how he had been booted out of his guild. He teared up slightly but got all the way through it, examining his bandaged hand the whole time.

He laughed slightly, "You know, I have the worst luck with this hand. It's the same hand I nearly lost when Deliora flattened my home town. Had to be saved then too. Tch, never thought it would turn out like this." His voice finally cracked and whether the shaking and erratic sound he made next was laughter or sobbing was hard to tell as he laid his bandaged hand over his eyes.

Makarov and Porlyusica stared, still too horrified by the boy's story to speak. Then the boy suddenly lowered his bandaged hand to his side and reached across to the shoulder his guild mark was printed on with his good hand, still laugh-sobbing. Makarov and Porlyusica didn't realize what he was doing until he suddenly roared in anguish and blue light exploded out from between his fingers. He looked away, finally silent except for his heavy panting breaths.

Porlyusica seemed to teleport across the room to swat him and yell, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" "Sorry," the boy panted, "Had to, had to get that off. Bastard doesn't, doesn't deserve my loyalty. Doesn't deserve, any of our, loyalty. Not, not after that." Then the real sobbing started.

==A Moment Later==

Porlyusica and Makarov sat on the steps outside. "What do you think we should do about him?" Makarov asked quietly. "He's turned his back on that dark path he was on. He'll never go back to someone who murdered his best friend and tried to kill him," Porlyusica said grimly, "He's going to need somewhere to stay." "You mean Fairy Tail?" Makarov asked quietly. "It would be the best way to keep an eye on him," Porlyusica replied, "and if he's half as well trained and powerful as he claims then it sounds like he's already an extremely powerful young wizard. Do you really want him just wandering around alone for some random Dark Guild to snatch themselves up a new ace?"

"His past is certainly something to be concerned about," Makarov said quietly, "Can we trust him?" Porlyusica turned to look at him, "You think he's faking?" "It's not impossible. He had enough grit to get up and try to run with that wound, he's got enough grit to wipe his own guild mark to go undercover. Plus we have no evidence that he's telling the truth."

The door opened behind them and the boy stepped out, calmly walking down the stairs, looking tired but still patting Porlyusica on the shoulder with the hand that had only moments before been wrapped in bandages and horribly mangled, "Thank you for your kindness. I'm sorry I drank half of your water barrel." Porlyusica and Makarov stared as he strode down the steps waving over his shoulder, "I know where I'm not welcome, but if you're ever in a pinch, give me a shou-" He abruptly swore loudly as his leg gave out from under him and sent him tumbling down the steps.

He landed sprawled on his back, inhaled deeply to calm himself and continued as though nothing had happened, "give me a shout and I'll come a runnin. I owe ya one." He grunted and tried to sit up only to find Porlyusica and Makarov catching him under the arms and dragging him back up the steps. "You can thank me by doing what I tell you to and staying in bed until you're recovered!" Porlyusica snapped. "And when you're done with that," Makarov added, "Fairy Tail is always in need of new wizards, and you sound like a fine one. You can thank me by coming to the Guild Hall and giving us a chance to prove we're better than your old guild."

The boy laughed weakly as he looked up at the sun shining down through the cloudy skies above the forest, "Guess I should tell you my name then. I'm Oberon Williamson, my friends call me Oby." "Well Oby, it's nice to meet you," Makarov grinned.

==One Month Later==

"So your dad's a member of Fairy Tail? Who is it? I'm new too, but maybe I can help." "His name is Gildarts," Cana replied timidly. Oby did a slight double take, "Gildarts?!" "Um, yeah," Cana replied, unsure if Oby's reaction was a good sign or not, "Do you know him?" "Everyone knows Gildarts! He's one of the strongest wizards in Fairy Tail! Now come on! We've gotta hurry before he takes another job!" Off they went, Oby leading Cana through Magnolia towards the guild hall he had recently come to call home as fast as he could go.

They caught Gildarts just as he was coming out the door. Gildarts looked down at them and blinked, "Hey, eh Oby right? Got yourself a girlfriend?" A flash of irritation lit Oby's eyes before he grinned and pointed at Gildarts, "Actually Gildarts, Cana here has been looking for her dad. I need you to help! He's a big guy with red hair that breaks things all the time." Gildarts looked over his shoulder into the rowdy guild hall thinking hard as he tried to spot someone who matched that description and then Oby nudged Cana with a huge grin, "What did you say his name was Ms. Alberona?" Gildarts' head whipped around just in time for Cana to look up at him and timidly say "Gildarts."

"What happened?!" She wailed an instant later, "Daddy! Wake up!" Oby sniggered, "It's alright Cana, you just startled him. Good job! I've never seen anyone knock out Gildarts before! And the look on his face!" Oby couldn't take it anymore and started howling with laughter as he patted Cana on the shoulder, "Welcome to Fairy Tail Cana! I'll go tell Gramps you're here!" He strode into the Guild Hall laughing as Gildarts came to and sat up smiling. He reached out and wrapped Cana in a hug, "So I'm a father now," he chuckled, "Never thought I'd see the day."


	2. Chapter 2: A Cold Day

Chapter 2: A Cold Day

=2 Years Later=

The people of Brago watched in horror as the massive demon Deliora trampled their city, the ice wizard that had come to help battling futilely to drive it away.

Down in the city Ur ordered Gray and Lyon to get away while she dealt with the demon. Suddenly a voice cut off their protests, "Actually Madame Ur, I would appreciate it if you would take your daughter and your students and get to safety. I'll patch your leg up after I kill Deliora." Ur, Gray and Lyon whirled and saw a man in a long dark coat with stark white hair standing next to a little girl with short dark hair. Ur stared in shock, "Ultear?" Ultear smiled, "Mommy?" "HEADS UP!" Gray and Lyon yelled in unison as Deliora turned to unleash a magic bolt at them.

It was too late to run though. The bolt was already on its way. The young man raised a hand with a stern expression and the blast washed against an invisible barrier. "Go. All of you. This is about to get nasty." He shifted and threw a full body punch in Deliora's direction, "SLAM!" Everything between Deliora and the invisible barrier was suddenly shoved at the demon as though a giant hand had just swept an entire chunk of the city aside in the blink of an eye. As Deliora went skidding backwards, the young man took off his coat, "Ultear, would you hold my coat and get them out of here?" Ultear took the coat and pulled Ur away as fast as she could. Gray and Lyon quickly followed as the wizard leapt skyward, hovering midair and calling, "Over here ya sack o' shit!" before zooming off regardless of gravity.

Deliora roared and launched another laser at him, keeping his fire up and following the airborne wizard until its own magical blast bounced back off an invisible barrier and hit the massive demon full on. Deliora roared in outrage and threw a tremendously fast punch at the wizard, trying to swat him from the sky as it staggered. The wizard effortlessly dodged the massive claw and spun midair, a hurricane whirling to life along his flight path behind him. Before anyone could fathom the purpose of the whirling airborne tunnel of wind and water, the wizard twisted midair, "MAELSTROM SCYTHE!" and swung the raging torrent at the demon.

Before it could connect, Deliora disappeared. Those paying the sharpest of attention saw Deliora jump. Everyone saw Deliora land as lava splashed twenty feet high and suddenly solidified. The wizard laughed as he landed and all the snow in the city suddenly liquefied, "Let's see you dodge this!" The water all suddenly rose into the sky and then, "DEEP SEA GUILLOTINE!" The water slammed down on top of Deliora with such force that much of the rubble around the demon was instantly washed away.

A second later, Deliora collapsed in several directions at once. The water had sliced the demon into multiple pieces like an apple. Before Deliora's corpse could even hit the ground, it dissolved into dust. The wizard suddenly inhaled and all the water in the city that he had just used to slay Deliora disappeared down his gullet like he was the drain in a bathtub. The wizard hit a knee and slammed his palm against the ground, "ARC OF TIME!"

Before their eyes the people of Brago saw their city rebuilt seemingly of its own accord. The wizard straightened up and took a half step back to steady himself, "Man I need a drink…" He looked around, "Now where did they go…" He disappeared and reappeared in front of Ur, Ultear, Gray and Lyon with a smile, "See Ultear? I told you I'd win." All four stared at him like he was from another planet. He grinned, "Now here's the _real_ kick in the head."

He jumped slightly and suddenly shrank. There was a flash of blue light as his clothes changed to fit him and the coat Ultear was holding shrank as well, and suddenly what had been a man looking like he was in his twenties was a boy not yet into his teens. Oby laughed and scratched the back of his head, "Nobody takes me seriously when I look my age, so I grow up a bit for tougher jobs! Still fun to be a kid though!" The four ice wizards said nothing, they just continued to stare until Oby asked, "Hey Ultear, can I have my coat back? It's kinda cold."

Ultear remembered she was holding it and handed it back to him. "Who are you?" Ur asked. Oby's smile widened slightly, "I'm Oberon Williamson, a wizard from Fairy Tail." He spun and pulled his coat back on. "You should come visit us some time!" he said over his shoulder as he started walking off, "If anyone asks, I'll be back in about two hours, maybe three. This was a detour on my way to my next job, it should be a cakewalk, but I'm going to want a drink when I get back. Water will be fine, and you all can take the credit for oh wait forgot about your leg."

Oby spun and walked back over, "If you'll sit down and melt that ice I'll do some first aid." Ur smiled and sat, "Thank you, I appreciate what are you doing?" Oby flexed his fingers which had started to glow blue, "I'm a Sky God Slayer. I have healing magic. I can't grow you a new leg, but I can stop the bleeding and purge any infection." Ur stared, "But that's Lost Magic! How do you know something like that?!" Oby frowned, "What's more important? Saving what's left of your leg or talking about my past?" Ur looked away, "Good enough." She hissed as the icy prosthetic leg she had made for herself dissolved. Oby quickly laid his glowing hands to the now blood spurting stump and the wound quickly sealed shut. Ur squirmed a little uncomfortably as Oby ran his hands up and all over her leg, getting dangerously close to some inappropriate spots as he did. Once he was done though, her leg had stopped bleeding and the burns were all gone.

"It'll still hurt," Oby declared as he stood, "There's nothing I can do about that other than recommend not putting a lot of weight on it and doing whatever makes it most comfortable, but it's a lot better than it was and I rerouted all the severed blood vessels so that they'll still function as part of your circulatory system. Might cut down on the phantom limb pain, might not. I don't know, I've never dealt with missing limbs." Ur pulled her leg up and ran her hands over it, then she jumped slightly as Oby started working on her other leg, "What are you doing?" Oby looked at her, "Isn't it obvious? I've started healing you now I'm going to finish. Now hold still." He proceeded to run his hands over nearly every inch of her, only narrowly avoiding some places that would have gotten him slapped. He still ran his magic over them, and Ur had a sneaking suspicion from the oddly hand shaped pressure of his magic that he could still feel everything his magic touched. She let it slide though as she could tell whatever else he was doing, he was healing her at a truly remarkable rate.

He finished with her head and when he was done he patted her on top of the head with a smile, "You should be fine now. If you come to visit us in Magnolia we've got a healer who puts my magic to shame. She can probably do some things for you I can't. You're going to feel like crap for a few days probably, there's no changing the fact that you've taken a beating this evening and you're still going to feel all that fatigue, but there shouldn't be much actual pain." Ur thanked him with a slight smile. Oby smiled, "Thank me by giving Ultear lots of hugs, she really missed you." Ur smiled and pulled Ultear into a hug, "I'll certainly do that. I missed her too."

Oby turned to Gray and Lyon, "Let's see…" he reached out and laid his hands on their heads. A moment later their whole bodies were healed. Oby gave them a thumbs up, "All fixed!" Ur frowned, "Wait a minute, why did you…" "Well I really should be getting on!" Oby declared loudly with a grin, "Macao and Wakaba are probably wondering what happened to me! So I'll be back soon! Byebye!" He jumped fifty feet into the air, yelled, "MACH TEN!" and took off so fast it looked like he just disappeared. Ur grinned wryly at the spot where he had been, "Little pervert."

==Three Minutes Later==

Oby slowed to a stop and landed as the thunderous sonic boom rolled over the area. He strolled up to the imposing headquarters of the Dark Guild known as Death's Head Caucus and casually examined the rope next to the massive door labeled "Pull for service". Oby yanked the rope and what sounded like a mass of church bells rang somewhere inside.

A massive shirtless man with his entire body covered in tattoos that resembled a skeleton, no hair and a head painted like a skull answered, "Who is it?" "Message from the village," Oby replied, "I was instructed to deliver it to the master of this guild, one Benote Skelon I believe?" The massive man's eyebrows rose, "Master! It's for you!" "Send em in!" A gravelly voice yelled. The immense man ushered Oby in.

"Nice place you got here," Oby declared as the eyes of everyone in the building followed him. It was in fact far from a nice place, everything was designed to look like bones or was made from real bones. Now that he saw the inside of it, Oby realized the entire building was shaped like an upside down skull. The large castle like façade out front was the teeth, the massive terraced pit of a room he was walking down into was the brain cavity, and those two tunnels down on the left and right were the eyes. He had just come in through the nose. The ceiling was fairly high and there were chandeliers overhead graced with bits of carnage in varying states of decay and candles burning in the noses and eyes of impaled skulls, a disturbing number of which still had skin and hair on them. The big man leading him in laughed, "You got a gruesome sense o' style kid. Maybe you'll be one of us one day!" "Perhaps," Oby replied politely.

It wasn't the biggest building he'd ever been in, but it was certainly one of the most gruesome Oby thought. He paused as he saw two people suspended in chains over a large cauldron of boiling oil in the center of the massive pit that was the central room, but he didn't pause long and kept walking. The big man led him through a crowd of people, most with skeletal tattoos and shaved heads. _Nothing like a dark guild with a theme_ , Oby thought, _so easy to pick out their members_.

A moment later Oby was standing before a fairly old man with saggy skin and lots of his actual bones showing even through the tattoos all over his body. The Master of Death's Head Caucus, Benote Skelon, better known as Bones the Eviscerater, leaned forward, "Who are you?" Oby smiled, "My name is Oberon Williamson, the village sent me up with a little message for you." "Who do those miserable groveling wretches think they are sending a kid to bother me?!" Bones snarled, "Do they think I'll spare your life just because you're a child?!"

Oby smiled and pulled a pair of clawed metal gauntlets from under his coat, "No, actually they say in a great many words," He pulled his gauntlets on with a smile, "F*** you. They hired me and those two you've got dangling over the tar there to take out the trash." Macao opened his blacked eyes, "Oby…run…" "Speaking of…" Oby declared as the members of Death's Head Caucus stared at his audacity. Macao and Wakaba disappeared and reappeared in front of Oby on the ground, fully unchained, healed and on their unsteady feet as Oby finished, "I think it's about time we got started with that. Macao, Wakaba, you take care of Bones, I'll deal with the rest of em."

As Bones roared for the members of Death's Head Caucus to kill them, Macao and Wakaba looked over their shoulders at Oby as he turned to face the dark wizards charging down the stairs into the lowermost layer of the pit, "you sure kid?" Macao asked. "There's an awful lot of em!" Wakaba added. Oby seemed to teleport up the stairs and suddenly ever member of Death's Head Caucus between point A and point B went flying, covered in massive wounds as the sound of Oby's gauntlets slamming them away rang out across the room like a gunshot. Oby only paused for an instant to call, "Yeah, I'm sure." Macao and Wakaba swapped a glance, "He's sure."

They turned to face Bones as the dark wizard rose from his throne like chair, "Your friend may have gotten you out of the tar, but you're out the frying pan and into the fire now that you have to fight me." Macao and Wakaba slid into fighting stances, Macao igniting in purple flames with a grin, "Maybe you haven't heard, but fire's my specialty!" Wakaba casually lit a cigarette off Macao's shoulder and grinned, "You caught us by surprise earlier, but you won't beat us head on!" Macao's face twitched slightly in irritation at Wakaba's using him for a lighter.

Bones grinned, the light of the fire and his skull tattoo lending his sunken eyes a truly evil glint, "Is that so? BONE MAGIC!" A magic seal erupted under him as he crossed his arms and bone spikes erupted all over his body. He uncrossed his arms quickly and sent a volley of sharp bone spikes at the Fairy Tail wizards. Macao and Wakaba disappeared in a puff of smoke as the bone shards flew through them and Bones took a step back in surprise, "WHAT?!"

"Smoke Fake!" Wakaba called from the terrace behind him with a grin. Bones had just an instant to worry before Macao roared, "PURPLE INFERNO!" and flooded the pit with violet flames. Bones leapt upwards out of the flames and suddenly stopped and fell, seemingly midair as he landed on something extremely hot and sticky. Macao grinned, "Purple Trap! Let him have it!" "Smoke Crush!" Wakaba called as he cut loose his spell. A barrage of pink smoke fists rained down on Bones as he struggled to free himself from Macao's sticky semisolid flames.

There was a sickening sound of bones shattering and Bones cried out in pain before going disturbingly quiet. Wakaba let up a second later and as Macao allowed the flames to dissipate he looked at his friend, "I think you might've overdone it Wakab-AHHH!" He cried out in shock and pain as a huge bone spike appeared in his shoulder. Before Wakaba could move three more spikes slammed into him and sent him toppling to the ground. Bones leapt up out of the pit and towered over them completely unscathed, "You two thought you could beat me? ME?! I AM BONES THE EVISCERATER! MASTER OF DEATH'S HEAD CAUCUS!"

He suddenly went flying as a small form with glowing white fists sheathed in a dark blue aura appeared between him and Macao and Wakaba, "And _we're_ Fairy Tail!" Cana yelled as she sprang after him, her Crash magic flaring as Oby's empowering spell lent her the ability to fly. Oby casually started pulling spikes out of Macao and Wakaba as Cana proceeded to use Bones the Eviscerater for a hacky sack punching bag. "What's Cana doing here?!" Macao asked in horror as Oby worked on Wakaba. "Oh she's been following us since we left," Oby told him nonchalantly, "She wanted to come along but you guys wouldn't let her remember? She's not the kind of girl that'll take no for an answer! Don't worry, she was busy busting out the prisoners down that tunnel over there while you two kept them busy out here with your Christmas ham imitations."

Macao finally managed to climb back to his feet, "We've gotta help her!" Oby laughed, "Did you forget who her daddy is? No solid target can withstand the Clive family Crash magic, and nothing's going to be able to touch her while my empowerment spell's on her. Let her take care of this guys, it'll do her confidence good, and imagine how proud Gildarts will be! Besides, I can-" his image flickered for a second and Bones, who had been about to get the upper hand, found himself suddenly wrapped in magic chains and slammed into the ground so hard his bone armor shattered. "Intervene whenever I need to," Oby finished. "Obyyy!" Cana whined as Bones slumped over unconscious, "You said you'd let me beat him!"

Oby smiled over his shoulder at her as she floated down, "Oh? I seem to recall saying I'd let you _fight_ him, I don't recall saying I wouldn't help if you needed it." Cana crossed her arms and huffed, "Stupid jerk." Oby smiled, "If helping my friend makes me a stupid jerk, then I'll gladly be the stupidest of jerks to keep you safe." Cana smiled slightly, and Oby continued patching up Wakaba, but Wakaba and Macao couldn't help but notice that he was smiling too.

Then they both started in horror as time seemed to slow down. Bones seemed ten feet tall as he lunged over the edge of the terrace with murder in his eyes and a huge bone javelin aimed right at Cana. Then Cana spun and slugged him with her Crash magic so hard he flew backwards a good twenty meters and left a crater in the stone staircase down from the door. "And it looks to me like _that_ was the final blow," Oby added as Bones twitched feebly, "So you did beat him." Cana smiled brightly, "Yeah, guess I did." Macao and Wakaba stared in shock. "Hey Macao?" "Yeah?" "Kids are scary." "Yep."

Oby grinned and Cana blushed like that was the best compliment in the world, "Awww, thank you!"

==Afternoon, Three Days Later==

"Hey guys we're back!" Macao called as he, Wakaba, Oby and Cana strolled in. "And we brought friends!" Oby added. "So this is a guild," Ur said with a smile, "It seems like a nice place. Awfully hot though." "I feel fine," Gray declared only for everyone to point out that his clothes were once again missing. Oby flickered for a second and handed Gray his clothes with a laugh, "Come on guys, let's go meet- oh hi Master!" Makarov looked the ice wizards up and down and then looked at Oby, "You're not going to bring new recruits in after _every_ mission are you?" Oby shook his head, "Nah, only when there's cute girls involved." Ultear blushed, "Aw!" Gray and Lyon shot him identical dirty looks as Cana snorted irritably and muttered, "Jerk." Oby just chuckled as Makarov stroked his chin, "Fair enough."

Ur raised an eyebrow, "Who said we're joining? We only came because Oby said you had somebody who could help with my leg." Makarov blinked, "Your leg?" Ur knelt and pulled up her pants leg to reveal the icy prosthetic and Makarov started, "Oh, of course! We'll go see Porlyusica right away. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were injured." Ur smiled slightly, "I'm not injured any more. Oby was able to seal my leg up pretty good, but I'd still like to see about a prosthetic that doesn't melt constantly in warm weather." Makarov nodded with a smile as he led her off towards the East Forest, "Of course, of course. I do hope you'll stay afterwards and enjoy a meal or two with us. I'd feel terrible sending you home after you just got here."

Ur smiled, "Well, maybe one night." Then she looked over her shoulder with a bright smile, "Behave you three, I'll be back soon!"

==Three Hours Later==

Ultear sat with Gray and Lyon as they waited for Ur to come out of surgery. Oby had brought them along when Makarov called him to assist Porlyusica in attaching Ur's new prosthetic. That had been an hour ago. Ultear shifted uneasily. She had so recently been on the verge of giving up on ever seeing her mother again because of these two, it felt so strange that she was to be their friend now.

"So, we, haven't really gotten to talk yet," Gray started. "Oby told us how he met you," Lyon said quietly. Ultear's heart skipped a beat, he had told them that he had met her on the verge of running away because of them?! "He said you were about to run away and never see Master Ur again because of us," Gray said as he looked towards the curtains that comprised the "operating room". "That you were afraid Master had been trying to replace you by taking us on," Lyon added as he looked away.

Ultear flinched and then Lyon went on, "I'll admit, for a while I thought that too when I found out about you. Then she took on Gray and I asked her, 'Why did you take him on? You don't need that punk, you've already got me to replace your daughter'." He snorted and rubbed the back of his head as Gray and Ultear stared at him, "I don't think I've ever seen Master Ur that angry. I _know_ I've never gotten slapped that hard. She told me that was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard, that nothing could ever replace her daughter." He shot a glance at Ultear out the corner of his eye with a slight smile, "Now that I've met you, I see what she meant."

Ultear blinked and was immediately a vivid pink. Gray's head whipped around, "Oh sure! Go right ahead and use what we agreed would be an attempt to help her settle back in as an excuse to hit on her! Have some decency ya pervert!" "Says the guy in his underwear!" Lyon snapped back. Gray leapt up, "AH! _When did that happen?!_ " "Keep your clothes on man!" Lyon barked as Ultear realized his own shirt was suddenly gone. "Why the hell did you take your shirt off?!" Gray exclaimed.

"So I can make muscly poses to impress Ultear," Lyon declared as he struck a pose with a grin. A moment later clothes went flying everywhere as they started wrestling and in less than a minute they were both in nothing but their underwear as Ultear suddenly asked, "Oh boys, can you help me find my top?" They both froze, looked at her, realized she was indeed topless, and had identical massive nosebleeds as Ultear laughed so hard she almost cried.

"WILL YOU KIDS SHUT UP?!" Porlyusica exclaimed as she erupted out from behind the curtains, "WE'RE TRYING TO DO SURGERY IN HERE! AND FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON!" Things were quiet after that, but the ice was broken, and by the time Ur woke up the next morning, they were all three crashed out in the living room in a happy dogpile with Ultear on top as Oby snored in a nearby chair.

Ur smiled, "Is everyone at Fairy Tail like this?" she asked Makarov and Porlyusica quietly. Porlyusica nodded, "It's a wonderful place. I don't like humans, but Fairy Tail wizards, for all their rambunctious reckless noisy nonsense are still the best people I know." Makarov smiled, "Aw…" Porlyusica cast a sideways glare at him, "Don't get a swelled head ya old coot."

Makarov's head was suddenly the size of a beach ball, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Porlyusica snorted as Ur laughed and thought, _Maybe this'll be a good place for the four of us after all…_


	3. Chapter 3: Fairy King & Wizard Guilds 3

Chapter 3-Fairy King and Wizard Guilds Three

==Four Months Later==

Oby sat back and glared at the floor as Makarov described the situation the Magic Council had reported and declared, "I know this will be dangerous, but it is our duty as a guild to help put a stop to this madness. I would like to request volunteers to assist the coalition forces and the military in the destruction of the R-Systems." Oby rose, the foul taste of the magic his former guild had sought fresh in his mouth, "I'm in."

Ur, recently promoted to S-Class, nodded, Makarov hmmmed and Gildarts raised an eyebrow. He looked at Makarov, "Master, you can't seriously be considering letting him go, he's just a kid!" Ur looked at Gildarts, "He's the kid who killed a demon the size of a mountain and rebuilt an entire city in less than five minutes." Gildarts raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?" Ur smiled slyly, "You think I'd be impressed by just any old hunk with slicked back hair in a cape?" Gildarts blinked in confusion, "Well no but, wait a minute!" Makarov nodded, "Very well, Oby, you're in. Anyone else?"

Gildarts tapped Makarov on the shoulder, "Ok, I'm in. I'm curious to see what the kid can do now." Makarov looked at him then turned to Ur, "Wanna sting anyone else's pride into joining this outing?" Ur howled with laughter as Gildarts blushed crimson and stammered out some nervous protests. Makarov turned back to the assembly, "Well we've got two wizards going now. We need to send at least seven, and I'd like to send at least a few more of our more experienced members. Anyone else or are we going to have to draw straws?" Cana quickly volunteered and Makarov agreed on the condition she be on the same team as Gildarts.

Laxus raised his mug with an over the shoulder grin, "Count me in! Can't let the kids and Gildarts catch all the glory!" Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen, the newly formed "Thunder Legion", all immediately raised their hands, "We're in too!" Makarov nodded, "Very well, that brings us up to six. We need at least one more, and I'd like to have at least one experienced member to every younger member. Come now, don't be timid!"

Ur stepped forward with a smile, "I'm in. Ultear, Gray, Lyon, you three stay here." All three tried to protest and Ur sighed, "Oh fine. You can come too, but stay safe alright?" "Okay!" the recently dubbed Blizzard Siblings chorused. Makarov counted on his fingers, and then frowned. He suddenly pointed, "Macao, Wakaba, Reedus! You just volunteered!" Macao Wakaba and Reedus all flinched slightly and then Makarov scratched his chin and thought for a moment.

Then he nodded, "The teams will be divided as follows! Team 1 will be composed of Ur and the Blizzard Siblings. Team 2 will be Gildarts and Cana. Team 3 will be Reedus and Freed. Team 4, Wakaba and Evergreen. Team 5, Macao and Bickslow. Teams 6 and 7, Laxus, Oby, I'm trusting you two to take care of yourselves. If you go out there and die, I'll kill you!" Laxus and Oby blinked and then laughingly agreed that they'd take care of themselves.  
==Two Days Later==

Oby kicked back at the meeting point where he had been instructed to meet the representatives from Lamia Scale, Phantom Lord and Blue Pegasus. He had aged himself up for the meeting, no need to let himself be underestimated by his allies he reasoned.

He was on the verge of dozing off when the first cold rain drop hit his head. He blinked and looked up, the sky that had been a clear blue earlier was now filling rapidly with dark clouds and the rain was starting to intensify. "Well," he mused with a lopsided grin, "Looks like Phantom's here. Must be the Lockser family. Rain, rain comin my way."

Several minutes later he sensed three powerful magic signatures behind him. "Reyna, Elena and Juvia Lockser of Phantom Lord I presume?" He asked as he rose and turned to face the three women. "Very astute of you," the elderly matriarch of the Lockser family declared, "Although I am curious to know how you know our names. Who are you young man?" Oby bowed slightly, "I am Oberon Williamson of Fairy Tail. It is an honor to meet such a renowned master of water magic," Then he smiled at Juvia and her cousin Elena, "And a delight to meet you two as well. Do you share your grandmother's abilities?"

"Why do you just assume I'm their grandmother?!" Reyna demanded. Oby straightened, "I do not presume Madam, I heard you talking as you approached." Reyna looked at the rain around them, something which should have drowned their quiet talking, "Those are some impressive ears you have." Oby smiled, "Just a result of my magic. My hearing is actually not the sharpest without it."

Reyna raised an eyebrow, "And what magic do you have? You seem to know about us already, I would assume you know our magic as well. It's only fair that we should know yours." Oby smiled, "As you wish. I am a God Slayer, similar to a Dragon Slayer, but of a higher caliber. Even Dragon Slayers of the same element cannot devour my elemental attacks and I have slightly different abilities from Dragon Slayers of my elements. Since I know you would've asked I have three God Slayer elements instead of just one, I am a Sea, Sky and recently Lightning God Slayer. I just roll it all into one and call myself a Storm God Slayer. I also know Barrier Magic, Heavenly Body Magic and a lost magic known as the Arc of Time which allows me to manipulate time however I please."

Reyna raised an eyebrow, "I did not know Master Makarov had such a wizard." Oby shrugged, "I'm rather new." Reyna looked around, "So if you can manipulate time, then can you see the future? If you can, then who will arrive next?" Oby looked around, "Blue Pegasus, represented by Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki, Ren Akatsuki, Hibiki Lates and Karin Lilica. They will be coming from that direction," he pointed to the east, "and Lamia Scale will arrive shortly afterwards from the opposite direction, represented by Jura Neekis, a very powerful earth wizard."

He looked back at them, "Quite a balanced team we have. I'm glad the other guilds take this as seriously as we do." Reyna nodded, "What they are doing is so abominable that I didn't want to bring my granddaughters along. If they weren't so stubborn I would've left them at the Guild Hall." "It was much the same at our guild. Our two S Class wizards wanted to leave their children behind as well. If I hadn't been S Class before I joined Fairy Tail, I don't think Master Makarov would've allowed me to come at all, let alone by myself."

Reyna raised an eyebrow, "You were a member of another guild before Fairy Tail? Which one?" Oby looked down, "That's a long painful story I'd rather not get into if you don't mind." Reyna nodded, "Of course, my apologies. It just seems strange to me that I would not have heard of such a powerful wizard." Oby smiled, "Well there is a reason for that, but I'll wait until after the others have arrived to show you."

"Well you shall not wait long!" Ichiya declared as he walked up, "Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki of Blue Pegasus, with my students Ren Akatsuki and Hibiki Lates, as well as our lovely Karen Lilica." Oby had to stoop slightly to shake Ichiya's hand, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance Mister Ichiya. I am Oberon of Fairy Tail." "Oberon as in the Fairy King?" Hibiki asked in surprise with a raised eyebrow. Oby straightened and looked at him, "Fairy King? That's a bit of a presumptuous title. I haven't even caught the promotion to S-Class yet, I'd hardly count myself the king of the guild." Hibiki shook his head, "No the Fairy King Oberon is a character in a play called _A Midsummer Night's Dream_."

Oberon raised an eyebrow, "Really?" He looked down and laughed slightly, "Wonder if that's why they named me Oberon." He placed a hand across his eyes, "Give me a moment please." By the time Jura walked up five minutes later, Oby had strode over to a tree and as the others noticed Jura walking up, Oby slammed a magic laced punch into the tree so hard he nearly broke it in two. He ripped his fist sideways through the tree and sent it toppling to the ground which jumped slightly as the massive tree hit. Jura blinked in surprise as everyone else stared. He leaned over to Reyna, and asked quietly, "Excuse me ma'am, why is that man so angry?"

Reyna shook her head, "I don't know, he's had his eyes covered for the last several minutes after Hibiki said something about a play and then he just suddenly went and punched the tree. I don't know what set him off." "What set me off," Oby declared in a dead voice without looking, "was watching the death of my parents again." He turned to face them and snapped the fingers of the hand he had knocked the tree down with. Before their eyes the other wizards saw the tree reassemble itself. "You were right Hibiki," Oby said quietly, "My parents did name me after that play. I was too young to remember much before the night Deliora destroyed my hometown. Turns out my parents were the heads of an acting troupe, and that was their favorite play. Seeing them again opened the wound back up in a rather painful manner."

He sighed, "And now as promised, the reason Master Makarov was reluctant to let me join this mission as well as the reason you have not heard of me Madam Reyna." He glowed brightly for a brief instant, and then his age had regressed to its natural state: a boy barely into puberty rather than a grown man. The cold stern look on his face didn't change though, and as he opened his eyes to look at them, he looked fierce to the point of murderous, almost like he was daring someone to say he wasn't fit to be there because of his age.

"I'm sure you're wondering if I am inexperienced in battle and I assure you I am not," Oby declared, "I have already scouted the tower and ascertained the number of our enemies, two hundred fifty seven, forty demon soldiers and approximately a hundred and thirty small guard beasts. There are only three with significant magic capabilities, none of whom should pose much trouble to any of our team's senior members or myself, and the number and identities of the four hundred captives we must free as well as the necessary medical procedures for each of them. I have also determined the best way to neutralize the defensive enchantments laid around the perimeter of the site and I can easily neutralize them when we begin our advance. I will also see to the evacuation of the captives before the fighting starts."

Everyone stared at him. "How are you going to evacuate that many prisoners?" Jura asked skeptically. Oby waved his hand and the entire forest suddenly collapsed into a state of decay. As the other wizards gawked he swung his hand back the other way and the forest erupted back to life. "My Arc of Time magic allows me to control time," Oby declared, "That includes stopping time. Honestly, there is a strong possibility that I could flatten all of the towers, kill and bury every member of that cult, evacuate all of the prisoners and maybe even put them back wherever they were snatched from healed back to perfect health, all in the breadth of an instant."

He crossed his arms, "The only reason I haven't done that already is because I wouldn't be able to use my Time Magic again for approximately the next two years, and while it is possible I could succeed, stopping time's not easy. The longest I've ever stopped it for is a few days, and I was totally drained afterwards. The fatigue and stress of maintaining such a tremendous power output over such a period would likely kill or render me comatose before the job was done. Such extreme measures are unnecessary, so I won't be resorting to them. I wouldn't bother with my Arc of Time at all if I weren't concerned about the cult trying to use the prisoners as hostages and human shields. We'll be able to crush them easily once the prisoners are safe."

The other wizards traded glances and then nodded. "Since you seem to have all the answers, how do you recommend we proceed?" Oby smiled slightly, "I was hoping you'd ask."

==One Hour Later==

The first the cultists knew of the impending attack was their defensive enchantments, weapons and slaves all disappearing. The next thing they knew was that the ground was shaking.

"You're clear!" Oby called as his adult form flickered and a massive pile of weapons appeared next to him. Jura grinned as he approached the massive structure, "And now it's my turn." He assumed a fighting stance and curled all but his index and middle fingers on each hand into a fist. With a thrust of one hand he conjured "Iron Rock Wall!" pillars around the back side of the tower. Then he quickly hit a knee and slammed a hand into the ground. A golden magic seal appeared for a brief moment, "Wild Rock Jumping!" True to the name, the ground beneath the tower began to shake, buck and jump beneath it, setting the whole thing shaking and large portions of it crashing down.

The demon soldiers were the first ones out, swiftly followed by panicking cultists. "Now Locksers!" Hibiki called through his Archive link. On a nearby cloud top, the Lockser women joined hands, "Unison Raid! SKYFALL!" Before any of the cultists knew what was happening, a hailstorm of boulder sized ice chunks was raining down on the tower and the demon soldiers. Ren pouted as he casually aimed the falling ice with his Air magic, "This is way too easy." Then he grinned slightly, "And I love it."

The demon soldiers dropped like flies and as the last one splattered beneath a giant ice chunk, Ichiya and Karen stepped into position next to Ren and Jura. Ichiya raised his hand to the lid of the massive wheeled cauldron he had prepared, "Ready?" Karen nodded, "Open! Gate of the Ram! Aries!" The Celestial Spirit Aries popped out of nowhere next to her, "You called?" "I need you to get up on top of those rocks around the tower and put everyone inside it to sleep!" Karen demanded as the last of the ice fell from the sky. "I'll try," Aries said timidly before running off as quick as she could. She leapt an incredible distance from the ground to the top of Jura's rock wall and began running around it, blasting pink magic fluff into the massive holes Jura and the Locksers had made in the tower.

A moment later Ichiya lifted the lid off his cauldron, "NOW!" As the air hit the noxious liquid in the cauldron it vaporized into a pungent knockout gas, which Ren quickly blew into the oncoming crowd of beasts and cultists. The cultists dropped quickly, but the eyeless beasts plowed right on, the gas seeming to only drive them into a frenzy. Then as Jura got ready to fight the oncoming hoard of beasts Aries' shriek of pain rang out over the roars of the beasts and a moment later a large wizard wearing the robes of the cultists walked out onto the top of the rock wall.

He raised a staff over his head and slammed it into the stone. A powerful gust erupted out away from him before Jura could send him toppling to the ground and blew Ichiya's knockout gas away. Then another wizard ran out of the tower and all the weapons Oby had confiscated suddenly flew back to the now quickly recovering cultists.

Oby sighed as the others took a concerted horrified step back, "Oh well. It was a good plan. Time for plan B. Beat em to a pulp." He stepped forward and inhaled, "Storm God _HOOOOOWL!"_ As he said 'howl' a massive cyclone of wind water and lightning erupted from his mouth and blasted over half of the cultists and their beasts back into the ruins of the tower. It was the half in the middle, and those left standing suddenly looked very unsure of themselves as much of what was left of the tower collapsed. Oby pulled on his metal gauntlets, "Hibiki, would you call the Locksers down? We might need them for containment purposes."

Hibiki nodded, "I'm on it." Oby looked up at Jura, "Jura, you ready?" Jura nodded, "Very. If you would take the ones on the left, I will defeat those on the right." The two wizards were suddenly shrouded in blazing auras of magic power and launched into the remaining cultists. Ichiya turned to Ren and Hibiki as cultists and guard beasts went flying like leaves in a tornado, "Pay close attention men, this is a fine example of master combat wizards at work." "Yessir!" Hibiki and Ren chorused.

"You should watch less and get in on the action," Reyna scolded as she strode up, "Juvia go right, Elena left. I'll deal with that wizard that re-armed these vile men." The three Locksers took off as raging torrents, and in Elena's case a miniature blizzard. "Quickly Hibiki! Warn Oberon and Jura that the Lockers are entering the fray! Ren go after Juvia and protect her! Hibiki and Karen join Oberon and Elena on the left. I will go and back up Lady Reyna!"

Ren rushed off immediately, Hibiki not far behind him as Karen drew a second key and Ichiya drew a vial of potion, "Power Parfum!" "Open Gate of the Lion! Leo!" Ichiya grew to tremendous size and charged after Elena as Leo appeared, "Looks like a fight. If we win do I get a kiss?" Karen sighed, "I'll think about it. Now go hit something." Leo grinned, "As you wish!" He hurtled into the fray, blazing golden light appearing around his hands as he laid into the cultists.

Oby looked around as Elena and Hibiki blew over a dozen of the cultists back and ran up to him, "Well it appears the party's getting started. Welcome to the-" He discharged a lightning bolt and fried a cultist that was trying to escape into the woods, "to the fun zone," he finished, "Hibiki would you mind putting up a shield on the left flank to keep them from running off? This-" he zapped another one, "running away thing is starting to annoy me." Hibiki nodded, "Of course!" and ran off towards the left flank just as Leo ran up, "Hey there! Strategy meeting?" Oby nodded, "Something like that. You need to get back to Karen, she's going to run out of magic power in about three minutes and be quite helpless. I'll come summon you and Aries once she's out of power if that's alright with you."

Leo raised an eyebrow and looked rather taken aback, "Um, okay? We're really not supposed to answer the summons of anyone but our wizards, but I guess if it's to help her then we could answer a call just this once." Oby nodded, "Good, then get over there before that beasty eats her." Leo's eyes widened and he whirled, quickly charging as he spotted one of the guard beasts scuttling towards Karin. Oby turned to Elena, "Elena, now that we've gotten our allies out of the firing line, would you mind assisting me in a dual breath attack? I think we'll make quite a dent in their forces that way." Elena raised an eyebrow, "Sure."

They turned and inhaled in unison and then, "Storm God-" "Ice Dragon-" "HOOOWL!" "ROOOAR!" The following maelstrom of wind water ice and lightning did a bit more than "make a dent". Nothing caught in the massive attack ever got back up, and that was everything in a hundred meter wide and half kilometer long swath of destruction. Oby smiled at their handiwork, "And now I'm going to go see what happens when I summon a Celestial Spirit. Should be interesting. I'll be back in a moment." He suddenly flew off towards where Karen had been knocked over and was about to be skewered by a few cultists who had snuck away from the melee just in time to see Leo disappear as Karen's magic power ran out.

Oby casually fried the cultists with a blast of lightning and landed next to Karen. "Excuse me Karen, may I borrow your keys for a moment? Leo said he'd answer a call from me so he could protect you even if you were to run out of power." Karen was still in a half stunned state of terror and numbly handed over the two keys to Aries and Leo without a word. Oby accepted them with a smile and then swung them in a cross shape, "Open Gates of the Ram and Lion! Aries and Leo!"

Aries and Leo appeared alright, but they were different. Now they were absolutely glowing with power. Leo looked over his shoulder at Oby, "Wow, I could tell you were powerful, but I didn't think you were this strong!" Oby grinned, "Thanks." Karen stared in shock as her two most powerful spirits radiated with power in quantities she would never have imagined they had. Had they really had this much power all the time she'd known them and never used it?! Aries smiled at Oby, "If you can get your friends out of the way I can knock out everyone else with one hit now."

Oby raised an eyebrow as his smile grew, "Awesome!" He turned and raised his hands, suddenly Jura, Juvia, Elena, Reyna, Ren, and Ichiya were all rapidly lifted high into the air, "Now Aries!" Aries stepped forward with a grin, "WOOL BLAST!" An absolute tidal wave of her pink magic fluff washed over the remaining cultists and beasts, instantly knocking them all soundly unconscious. Aries turned to Oby and the others with a big happy smile as Oby set them down safely away from the wool, "They should be unconscious for several days. Leo can set them on fire if you want." Oby smiled, "I don't think that'll be necessary. Thank you very much for your help." "Don't mention it," Leo grinned. Then he looked at Karen, "See ya next time gorgeous!" Then he and Aries flashed brightly for a moment and were gone.

Oby grinned at the two keys in his hand, "Man, I've gotta get me one of these!" He handed them back to Karen, "If you ever decide to part with them, I'd be delighted to have them." Karen glared and snatched them away angrily without a word and Oby raised an eyebrow as she turned and stormed off, _Was it something I said?_ His brows furrowed for a moment and he gazed into her past and future. He rubbed his eyes thinking, _Yeesh what a bitch…I'm gonna have to do something about her one day._ _I can't let them suffer like that._ Then he opened his eyes in surprise.

He looked at the fading sea of magical fluff with a slight smile, "Fairy Tail must really be getting to me. Not so long ago I would've torched them all and enjoyed it." He turned to Hibiki, "Before you go comfort your grumpy girlfriend would you mind calling up the army and telling them we've got the cultists ready to be taken into custody?" Hibiki paused with a puzzled look, "She's not my girlfriend?" Oby raised an eyebrow and looked away, "Oops. My bad." Hibiki blinked and then he visibly remembered that Oby could see the future and grinned from ear to ear, "Thanks!"

==That Night==

"Sho why did a wisherd of your shtrength join a bunsh *hic* bunsh o nobodies like Fairy Tail?" Reyna asked Oby across the table as Elena face palmed in embarrassment and Juvia apologized silently for her grandmother's rudeness as fast and profusely as she could. "You coulda joined any guild but you shoze Fairy Tail. Why not Phantom? You woulda been welcome, we're the shrongest guild in Fiore. Master Shosay's gonna flip when he finds out a wisherd like you ish wif Fairy Tail inshtead of us."

Oby smiled, "Why am I with Fairy Tail? Makarov found me after I was kicked out of my previous guild and took me in. Fairy Tail pulled me off a dark path that I would've barreled on down without a second thought for the rest of my life. Other than that, it was pretty much just the first place I came to. It's a good place, so that's where I've stayed." He chuckled, "After all, who knows? Fairy Tail might surpass Phantom one day."

Reyna shot him a furious stink-eye, "Nonshensh. Mashter Shoshay would never shtand for it. Hish pride would drive him nutsh if he were in second playsh. He'd shtomp Makarov like a bug before he'd ever shtand for shecond playsh." Everyone else got very still as Reyna took another hearty swig, "You think he would start a guild war over it?" Oby asked quietly. "Of course he would!" Reyna declared loudly as she slammed her mug down on the table, "He's an arrogant self absorbed bossy slimy underhanded cowardly he's right behind me isn't he?"

"Yep," Elena declared dryly. "We're so sorry Master, she didn't mean it!" Juvia cried, "Granny Reyna's just crabby when she drinks!" Jose Porla, the Master of Phantom Lord, kept forcing a smile, "I know Juvia. I've known your granny for a long time, and I'm sure that's far from the worst she's ever called me. I let it slide because she's such a good wizard." He straightened back up, still smiling that fake smile, "Now what's this nonsense about a guild war?"

"Madam Reyna seems to be of the opinion that when Fairy Tail catches up to and eventually surpasses Phantom Lord you will be driven into a fit of jealous rage and seek to destroy us," Oby declared calmly. Jose blinked, "Well I certainly would be upset, but I don't think I'd start a guild war over it. We would just have to strive harder to be the best. Reyna tends to exaggerate a little when she's had too much to drink." Everyone but Oby and Reyna sighed with relief, and then Jose asked, "If I may ask though, what brought on this conversation? I would've expected you to be celebrating your success today! All those filthy cultists defeated in less than an hour and not a single one of their captives hurt in the process? You lot are the talk of Fiore!"

"What brought it on Jose," Reyna said over her shoulder with no small amount of sass, "Is that this boy Makarov sent is the sole reason we were able to be so successful today! He evacuated all the captives in the blink of an eye! He uses four kinds of lost magic plus Heavenly Body and Barrier magics, he was able to summon two Zodiac Spirits at the same time like it was nothing, and he's barely a teenager! If Makarov's got a crop of kids like this then Fairy Tail very well might surpass us in a few years!" Jose looked very uncomfortable for a moment and then he forced a smile, "I'm not worried. We still have you Reyna, as well as the rest of the Element Four, and we have Elena and Juvia and all the other kids too. We'll be fine." "I wouldn't bet on it," Reyna grumbled into her drink.

There was a moment of awkward silence and then Ichiya stood on the bench, "Enough of this gloomy talk! Master Jose is right! This is a time for celebration! Today we rid this land of a terrible blight upon its people and all across the kingdom our friends have been doing the same! Come! Let us dance the dance of life and victory!" "Well said," Jose declared. Before Oby could open his mouth to ask Elena to dance Ren beat him to it. Oby smiled and rose, "Miss Juvia, would you care to dance?" Juvia blinked and looked at Reyna who shooed her towards the dance floor, "Go on Juvia, you mustn't be so timid child!" Juvia nodded, "Okay." She stood and accepted Oby's hand with a shy smile, "I'd love to dance."

Oby led her out onto the dance floor and they started dancing a slow dance. "I'm sorry," Juvia said quietly, "I know you wanted to dance with Ellie instead of me." Oby blinked and then frowned, "Now what would give you a silly idea like that?" Juvia looked up wide eyed with surprise and Oby laid his forehead against hers, "Just because Elena's older than you doesn't make her better. And for the record," He grinned, "You're a lot cuter than Elena."

He stepped back and gently spun her before pulling her back to him with a smile, "Don't ever let anyone tell you you're anything less than the best Juvia. You're already a beautiful and powerful water wizard, and take it from the guy who can see the future, you're only going to get stronger and prettier as time goes on. Whatever guy manages to steal your heart is going to be a lucky man indeed." Juvia blushed and looked away with a big smile, "Stop it you big flatterer." Oby snorted, "Juvia I don't hand out compliments lightly, if I say something, I mean it. I have a lot of tricks up my sleeves, flattery isn't one of them."

Juvia looked into his eyes, "Can, can Juvia be your girlfriend?" Oby chuckled sadly, "I wish we could do that Juvia." Juvia's face fell slightly and then Oby elaborated with a gentle smile, "I can see a much better man than me waiting in your future, and he's actually a good friend of mine. I won't steal his future bride's first kiss." Juvia's breath caught and she was wide eyed with shock as Oby pulled her into a hug with a smile, "But that doesn't mean I won't take a hug."

Juvia smiled and hugged him back and a moment later, "Can you tell me who it is?" Oby smiled and shook his head, "No that would spoil the surprise. And besides, the future's not set in stone. I have an idea of who it might be, and I suspect it will be one of two, but which of the two is up to you Juvia, and don't let my shoddy fortunetelling get you all hung up on something that hasn't happened. Live life to the fullest, and I know that one day you'll have guys falling all over themselves to be yours."

Juvia smiled and shyly kissed him on the cheek, "Thanks, I needed that." Oby smiled brightly, "Anything for a friend."


	4. Chapter 4: Oby vs Gildarts!

Chapter 4 – Oby vs. Gildarts!

==Three Months Later==

"You're sure eyeing the request board mighty hard," Nab declared as Oby stared intensely at the board, then he smiled "I'm glad somebody else understands how hard it is to pick one." "Actually Nab," Oby replied, "I'm scoping the possible outcomes of every one of these jobs as well as determining who I should take with me for each mission to obtain the optimal results. I can pick one for you as well if you'd like." Nab blinked, "Um, ok?" Oby turned back to the board and his image flickered. Suddenly he was holding a job flyer out to Nab, "Your knowledge of horror novels will serve you well on this one. A well known horror author is seeking a consultant to assist in building a house of horrors as a tourist attraction. I think you will enjoy it."

Nab took the flyer in surprise, "Wow, this one's been here for weeks and I never would've guessed it was a good one for me…" Oby smiled without taking his eyes away from the board, "Guess it's a good thing I was here today eh?" His hand suddenly flickered out and took one of the fliers, "This one looks good." He turned and whistled, "Hey Master, I'm gonna take this book stealing gig in Shirotsume. Nab's taking the consultation job in Elmtown." Everyone looked at him in shock as the words "Nab's taking the job" left his mouth. Nab looked slightly nervous as his chances of getting out of it dwindled to nothing.

Makarov nodded, "Very well, are you going to take anyone with you?" Oby looked around and then shook his head, "No, it doesn't pay much and doesn't sound very hard. With my Arc of Time I'll be able to get in and out before anyone knows I was there. Should be a piece of cake." Master Makarov nodded, "Well be careful anyway." Oby grinned on his way out the door, "Will do boss man! Gildarts will ya quick ogling Ur's butt and ask her out already!" Ur, Ultear, Cana, Gray and Lyon who were all sitting in a line at the bar, immediately spewed what they were drinking and Gildarts leapt up in embarrassment and started spouting fervent and vigorous denials that he had been doing any such thing. Oby just laughed as he suddenly disappeared midstride.

==Twenty Minutes Later, Shirotsume==

Oby rapped on the door of the small house in his adult form. A man with graying hair and a small neat mustache opened the door, "Yes?" Oby held up the flier, "Mr. Melon, I'm a wizard from Fairy Tail. I came to see about your request?" Mr. Melon blinked in surprise, "Oh! Yes of course! Please come in!" Oby stepped in and Mr. Melon showed him to the table before sitting down across from him, "I really can't thank you enough, I know ten thousand jewel is such a small reward, but this means a lot to me, so I'm very thankful you accepted."

Oby smiled, "Actually Mr. Melon, I only stopped by before going up to Everlue's to tell you that I'll be doing this one at no charge to you." Mr. Melon blinked, "What? Why? I mean I'm very grateful but…" "Simply put Mr. Melon, Everlue is a scum bag who I'd enjoy putting behind bars even if I weren't getting paid. I also strongly suspect him of being in possession of something I want which I hope to relieve him of. Helping you out is just an added bonus," he smiled, "I'll get that book and be back in about oh, three minutes."

Mr. Melon and his wife stared, "Three minutes?" Oby rose, "Yes, one minute to walk out the door, one to walk back in, and one to hand you the book. Don't believe me just watch." He walked out the door and stopped time as he casually flew off towards Everlue Manor. He landed inside the gate and was immediately almost blown back over it. A massive mountainous gorilla of a woman with pink hair in a maid's uniform had erupted out of the ground in front of him. "Do you have an appointment?" she rumbled. Oby straightened up, "No. Although I am curious to know how you are able to circumvent my Time Stop." The massive woman crossed her arms, "If you do not have an appointment then please leave. I am able to circumvent your time magic because I am a Celestial Spirit."

Oby back flipped up onto the garden wall, "And which one are you?" The massive woman looked up at him, "I am Virgo the Maiden." Oby smiled as he sat down, "Well Virgo, may I ask who is your wizard?" "I am contracted to Duke Everlue," Virgo replied. "And what would I have to do in order to sever that contract?" Oby asked. "A Celestial Spirit's contract is severed when their wizard is incarcerated or killed, or if they willingly sever it themselves," Virgo replied, "Why do you ask?"

Oby smiled, "Well I once summoned Aries and Leo to help a comrade. I was extremely impressed with their power and I decided I wanted a Celestial Spirit partner of my own. When I found out Everlue has a Zodiac Key, I came up here to acquire it." "Interesting," Virgo replied, "but I am afraid I cannot let you take it. My orders are to defend the Master, and I will carry out my orders." Oby rose from his perch, "I have my own mission, and that is to retrieve a book in his possession. I will carry out my mission, you may try to stop me if you feel you must, but I ask that you not hold it against me later."

Virgo raised a hand, "I _will_ protect my wizard!" A blast of pink light erupted away from her palm and demolished the garden wall. Oby took to the air, glowing brightly, "I'm sorry Virgo, but I won't let you stop me." He moved too fast to see and slammed a wind blast into Virgo hard enough to knock her through the wall behind her, which was pierced clean through by a perfectly round hole that appeared an instant before she flew through it, allowing her to flip midair and skid an unharmed landing. Oby shot through after her and met her massive fist with his own armored fist as she leapt to engage him.

Virgo was incredibly strong and actually managed to stop Oby midair. Oby landed and they began to grapple. "You will _not_ harm the master!" Virgo declared angrily. "I'm sorry Virgo," Oby repeated, "But you won't stop me! Storm God Hammer!" The following blast of black wind water and lightning was so powerful that Virgo went flying backwards, her arms disintegrating into golden light. Oby watched her dissolve back to the Celestial Spirit World sadly, "I'll make this up to you Virgo." Virgo smiled faintly, and as she finally vanished, Oby could've sworn he heard her say thank you.

==Twelve Time Stopped Hours (An Instant For Everyone Else) Later==

As a stack of papers detailing Everlue's numerous criminal dealings appeared on a desk in the Magic Council Enforcement Unit's main office, Everlue appeared tied up in a cell, and Oby reappeared at the Melons' house and walked in, the book called Daybreak in hand. "Mr. Melon, your father's final work." Mr. Melon accepted the book in shock, "How did you…" Oby raised a finger, "Ah, before you go and burn it, I found something very interesting. Your father laid a spell on this book to hide its real contents. Here it should undo itself now that it's in your possession. Wait for it and three, two, one."

Light suddenly erupted from the book, streams of light and letters whirling around the room as Oby explained, "Your father spent all that time Everlue had him locked up writing a masterpiece for you Mr. Melon. He disguised it with magic so that Everlue wouldn't destroy it and hurt him or you. I encourage you to enjoy your father's final momento Mr. Kaby." Kaby stared at the cover of the book which now read, "Dear Kaby". A smile finally cracked across his face and he sat down, "Thank you, thank you so much. Are you sure there's nothing I can do to thank you?"

Oby smiled over his shoulder as he turned to go, "Everlue's in jail and I dropped enough evidence with the Magic Council's Custody Enforcement Unit to make sure he never leaves. I satisfied the customer, and," he extracted a golden key from his pocket, "I got what I came for. You've already given me reward in plenty just by bringing Everlue to my attention. Don't worry, this key is worth more than any amount of money you could've given me." He smiled and waved over his shoulder as he walked out, "Have a good day Mr. and Mrs. Melon, thanks for the work!" And just like that, he was gone.

==A Far Away Mountaintop Moments Later==

Oby stopped as he landed atop the mountaintop. He sat on a rock and covered his eyes, "Let me see…" He rose and extended the key he had taken from Everlue, "I call to thee in the Realm of the Celestial Spirits, I beckon thee to my side, pass through the gate, Virgo!" Golden light erupted from the earth and a small human shaped form erupted from the ground. A gorgeous young woman with short pink hair and blue eyes dressed in a tight black and gold militaristic jacket open quite revealingly at the chest, spotless white pants and gloves, and thigh high black boots with a pair of handcuffs and a whip at her belt landed and bowed slightly with a small smile, "You summoned Master? What can I do for you?"

Oby blinked in surprise at the form change and then smiled, "I wanted to apologize for attacking you earlier and see if you would consent to being my celestial spirit partner. You don't have to if you do not wish to. I will find you another wizard if you would like, but it would make me very happy if we could be partners." Virgo straightened and smiled brightly, "Actually I'm a masochist, so I don't mind playing rough, and yes, I would be happy to be your partner." Oby blinked at her forthrightness and then smiled, "Alright then, what days are you free, and is there anything you would like from me?"

Virgo blushed slightly and smiled, "You know not many Celestial Wizards ask what their spirits want from them. I'm free every day except Sunday which I like to have off, as for what _I_ want…" She stepped closer, wrapped her arms around Oby's shoulders and whispered in his ear exactly what she wanted. Oby blushed so much that his stark white hair almost turned as pink as Virgo's. He stared at her as she stepped back to look at him with a smile, "Um, aren't you the _maiden_? Isn't that like contradictory to your title?"

Virgo shook her head with a smug playful grin, "Not at all, I told you I'm a masochist. I return to my maiden form if I ever leave it when I jump between worlds so that I can experience that exquisite burn over and over again. I'm actually very experienced. So are we agreed on the terms of the contract?" Oby smiled from ear to ear, "Yes most definitely!" Virgo grinned, "Good, then let's get started."

==Two Hours Later==

Oby was still walking slightly drunk with delight as he staggered back into the Guild Hall. He made his way to the bar and sat down next to Master Makarov still grinning from ear to ear, "Mission accomplished chief." Makarov looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "What happened to you? You look like you've run a marathon and won the grand prize." Oby started laughing, "I'm a Celestial Wizard now, and I think it may be my favorite kind of magic yet!" Makarov raised an eyebrow, "Really? And how did you come by Celestial Wizardry?"

Oby pulled himself upright still grinning, "Well you remember back in March when I teamed up with the other guilds to take down that cult? Well one of the wizards on our team was a Celestial Wizard and I wound up summoning her spirits to protect her when she ran out of power. I was very impressed, so I decided that I wanted to try and get my hands on a Celestial Spirit Key of my own. That's why I took that job today, I found out the guy I was stealing the book from had one of the Twelve Gold Zodiac Keys. I might've passed it over as I'm normally not a thief, but the guy was actually a major crime boss, so I was like three birds one stone. I did the job for free since the reward was so small anyway and I did it in like three minutes, which is good for the guild's rep, I took down that Everlue guy, and I got one of the twelve Zodiac Spirits for my Celestial Spirit partner." Makarov nodded with a smile, "Good job, sounds like you've had a very successful day. Which spirit did you get?"

"Virgo the Maiden," Oby replied dreamily. Makarov raised an eyebrow, "Oh? With that face you're making she must be quite the cutie." "She's a total bombshell!" Oby agreed with a huge grin, "Best. Job. _Ever._ " "Well then why don't you bring her out for us to meet her?" Makarov asked, trying hard to keep a straight face. Oby grinned, "You got it boss!" He extracted Virgo's key from the inner left breast pocket of his coat and aimed it at the empty barstool next to him, "Open! Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!" Virgo popped through the golden seal that erupted around the end of the key with a smile, "You called Oby?" Oby nodded, "Master Makarov wanted to meet you." Virgo bowed her head politely, "It is a pleasure to meet you sir, I am Virgo." She looked around with a smile, "So this is Fairy Tail. Nice place. Oh, hello."

Nearly every guy in the guild had crowded around to meet her with a most remarkable speed. Oby sighed, "Virgo, meet the guys of the guild. Guys of the guild, this is Virgo, my new partner. She's a Celestial Spirit." Virgo waved with a smile, "Hi!" Then she visibly started to get uncomfortable with all the attention, "Um, Oby, can I go now?" Oby smiled, "Of course. Just wanted to introduce you to everybody right quick. You can go now if you'd like." Virgo smiled and started to glow, "See ya soon!" Oby closed his eyes and she disappeared in a flash of golden light that sent everyone who had been ogling her reeling backwards. Oby grinned as they tried to blink the stars from their eyes.

Then he was acutely aware of Ultear and Cana shooting him identical dirty looks from across the room. He raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked at Makarov. He turned around to face away from them, sat forward and asked quietly, "Eh boss, any idea why Ultear and Cana are givin me the stinkeye?" Makarov looked at them and back at him and started laughing. Oby's eyebrow went right back up and then Makarov grinned, "It looks like your fanclub isn't too happy with you having a new girlfriend."

Oby blinked in confusion. Then he realized what Makarov meant and shot a worried over his shoulder at Ultear and Cana who were still paying him a most unusual attention. Oby looked back forward and sat forward, placing his chin in one hand and drumming his fingers on the counter, "Now what am I gonna do about that…" he muttered. Then he realized the room had gotten very quiet. He looked behind him and found the face of a very angry Gildarts a few inches from his, "Uh oh."

The air made a little _pampf_ noise as Oby disappeared. He reappeared sitting on the table Ur was at, "Please tell me he's not mad at me for what I said earlier." Ur grinned, "Nah, he's mad because I put him on ice for not checking with Cana to see if it was okay with her first. You might wanna run." Oby disappeared again as Gildarts' fist blasted through the space where his head had been. The ensuing chase lasted until Master Makarov yelled at Gildarts to knock it off, but of course by that time the guild hall was on the verge of collapsing. Gildarts stopped and Oby finally dropped back into sync with the rest of the time stream hanging upside down from the ceiling, "Well, looks like we made a mess of the place." He put his hands on the ceiling, "Arc of Time!"

Then, just as the Guild Hall and all the upturned furniture finished repairing itself, Gildarts grinned, "Gotcha." Even Oby couldn't have dodged a bolt of magic that fast from so close. There was a flash of light and Oby disappeared. Ur leapt up and slapped Gildarts, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! HE WAS JUST A KID!" Gildarts actually staggered a little and rubbed his cheek, "What do you mean _was_? That was Disassembly Magic, it split him into lots of tiny little replicas of himself. It's embarrassing not deadly. Look!"

A little shower of tiny semiconscious Oby's suddenly started plopping down all over the guild hall. "He'll be back to normal in a little while," Gildarts explained, "But in the meantime everyone gets to play with an itty bitty Oby. I think it's suitable payback for calling me out like that earlier." Ur was about to make a biting comment and then all the tiny Oby's yelled in unison, "The only people allowed to play with the itty bitty Oby's are Ultear and Cana! Anyone else tries it they're getting slugged! Also, CHARGE!" Gildarts suddenly found himself being charged by the entire army of itty bitty Oby's waving people's spoons, forks, pencils, paperclips and everything else they could grab. There was even one little platoon of them that had made a couple of paper airplane launchers out of rubber bands, with an entire air force of paper airplanes piloted by little Oby's in thimble helmets.

Gildarts took a step back, "Oh crap!" He grabbed a hunk of his cape and started swinging it back and forth trying to deflect wave after wave of the itty bitty Oby's. The entire guild howled with laughter as the Oby's piloting the paper airplanes rained from the sky with parachutes made out of napkins and string, yelling things like "Mayday! Mayday! We're goin down! Ayeeeeee!" and then upon landing grabbed straws like bazookas and started shooting their thimble helmets at him. When they ran out of thimbles, they reassembled their fallen paper airplanes into a foot and a half long origami dragon and yelled, "Paper Dragon Steve away!" They somehow managed to make the dragon take off with four of him on its back and they circled Gidlarts before flying over his head and dropping a pinecone that they had pulled out of thin air on him yelling, "Feel the wrath of Paper Dragon Steve!"

After a few minutes of absolute chaos and hilarity Gildarts finally yelled, "Enough!" and instantly found himself tied to a table with all the itty bitty Oby's standing on him, one of them standing on his forehead was waving a tiny flag, "Victory!" "VICTORY!" The other itty bitty Oby's yelled in delight. Everyone else gawked as the army of itty bitty Oby's cheered. Then the Oby on Gildarts' forehead raised his hand, "I hereby declare that as the loser of this match, Gildarts must ask Cana if it's okay for him to ask Miss Ur out on a date! If it is he has to give Miss Ur a great date if she wants one! And if he doesn't we'll go throw him in a water barrel!"

The itty bitty Oby's all cheered and then Gildarts started to protest and all the itty bitty Oby's suddenly shot him an evil look and laugh. Gildarts suddenly found himself being picked up and carried by the entire army of itty bitty Oby's over to Cana. He looked at Cana and she looked back at him, both unsure of whether to be embarrassed, mortified or laughing their butts off. The itty bitty Oby's chanted, "Do it! Do it! Do it!" and Gildarts yelled, "Ok ok!" Then he smiled at Cana, "Sweety, would you be ok with me asking Miss Ur out to dinner?"

Cana smiled, "Weeell, I dunno. Maybe if Ultear's ok with it." Ultear smiled, "Weeell, I dunnooo…Gray, Lyon, what do you guys think?" Gray and Lyon swapped a glance and thought about it, "Well, I guess if Master Ur wants to." "It's really not our choice," Lyon added, "But we do want her to be happy." Ultear smiled, "Well alright then," she turned back to Cana, "I'm okay with it but if he makes my mom sad we'll freeze him into a block of ice." Cana grinned, "Hear that Daddy? No making Miss Ur sad!"

Gildarts smiled, "I'll do my best not to." All the itty bitty Oby's cheered and then they hauled him over to Ur and somehow managed to shove him upright. Gildarts gave Ur an embarrassed smile, "So um, Ur, can I buy ya dinner?" Ur smiled and pretended to think about it, "Mmm…I dunno, I might like to see you get thrown in a water barrel." A small platoon of itty bitty Oby's suddenly disappeared and reappeared with a water barrel dressed in little shark costumes, dancing and playing a song with little imaginary trumpets. Gildarts started to panic a little and everyone else burst out laughing. Then Ur leaned down with a smile, "I suppose I might let you buy me dinner, but I'm choosing the restaurant."

All the little shark Oby's went, "Awww…" and scurried away with the water barrel. The other Oby's yelled, "Yay!" And somehow managed to heave Gildarts up onto the bench next to Ur before scurrying off. "Hey!" Gildarts yelled, "You forgot to untie me!" Then he realized he was untied and sat back down slightly mollified as all the little Oby's ran away howling with laughter.

==Three Months Later==

Gildarts straightened his tie in the mirror, "I don't mind tellin' ya Oby, that was the most embarrassing way I've ever asked a woman out. She still teases me about it." Oby shrugged with a grin and Makarov patted Gildarts' arm, "It all worked out. How do you feel?" "Same way I did the first time, nervous, excited, terrified and pumped at the same time." Makarov nodded, "I think that's how we all feel when our time comes."

Twenty minutes later Gildarts looked liable to sweat through his suit as the doors to the cathedral opened and then Ur walked in with Ultear and Cana right behind her. Gildarts was immediately the most envied man in the building, but he didn't care, he couldn't tear his eyes from hers. The ceremony passed in a bit of a blur and then they were kissing and running out the door as fast as Gildarts' feet could carry them to the carriage.

Afterwards was by far the biggest party of the year. If Gildarts hadn't been so busy he would've been annoyed to have missed it. The whole guild drank and partied themselves into a stupor in honor of the newlyweds and it was the next morning Oby grinned from ear to ear as he woke up with Ultear and Cana, the now Clive sisters under his arms. Granted they were still clothed (mostly) and they were still in the middle of the Guild Hall, so even though he couldn't remember he was certain things hadn't gotten _too_ crazy. He was still grinning when they woke up though. Not too long after was another first for him, his first hangover.


	5. Chapter 5: Unfinished Business

Chapter 5 – Unfinished Business

==Seven Months Later==

Oby raised an eyebrow at how dead silent the town was, and how recently it looked to have been thriving. He looked around and started searching. When he found that there was nobody at all in the village, he went back to the center of town and sat down on the edge of a smashed well, "What happened to you Rosemary Village?" he asked quietly. He closed his eyes and covered them as the images started to whirl behind his eyelids.

He saw the trees of the village lose their leaves, be covered in snow and then regain them in reds and golds before the reds and golds faded to green, then he saw the flames. He froze the image and his eyes darted around as he thought, _No, we destroyed them…How are they here? Did they escape? Was there a tower we missed?_ He locked onto a little girl with red hair and restarted the vision in real time, watching as she pulled a little girl with dark hair out of the street the cultists were rampaging on and hiding her in a box in an alley before running to find a different place and getting caught almost immediately. He snarled like an animal as the cultists proceeded to beat her unconscious and throw her chained into a cage like wagon.

He walked over to the spot where the carriage had been and opened his eyes, his magic power whipping the air into furious little eddies around him as he stared down the trail of the men who had destroyed the village and kidnapped its children, "They're gonna pay…" He snarled. Then a voice called out from behind him, "Excuse me, sir?" Oby started and turned quickly, it was the little dark haired girl who had been hidden in the box!

Oby knelt down with a gentle smile, "Hello, I'm Oberon. A wizard from Fairy Tail. Do you have anywhere to stay?" The little girl shook her head, tears welling in her eyes and then Oby scooped her up, "Hey now, don't cry, we'll go to Fairy Tail. Once you're safe there I'll go find the people who did this. Is there anyone else here?" The little girl shook her head, still trying not to cry and Oby nodded, "Alright. That's okay. Can you tell me your name?" "I'm Kagura," she said quietly, "Kagura Mikazuchi. Please, can you save my brother Simon?" When she said her brother's name the tears burst loose and she started bawling, leading to Oby spending several minutes trying to console her as she recounted the horrible night the village had been destroyed.

When Oby finally got her calmed down he smiled, "Don't worry, I'll find them. I'll find them all. You'll all be welcome at Fairy Tail." Kagura sniffled slightly, "What's that?" Oby smiled, "It's a happy friendly place full of wonderful people. They can make all the hurt in the world go away if you let them." Kagura looked up at him with watery eyes, "Really?" Oby nodded, "That's right. Would you like to see?" "Yes," Kagura said in a very small voice. Oby smiled, "Alright then, hold on tight." Kagura held on and a moment later they were standing in the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. Oby gently set her on a barstool next to Master Makarov and as Master Makarov opened his mouth to ask who she was Oby cut him off, "Master, there's a job I need to finish. This girl has lost her family and her home to something I thought we wiped out. I'm going to go finish the job. Get ready we may be about to have a lot of new members." He disappeared before Makarov could ask him what he meant and Makarov sighed, "That kid brings in more new members than anybody I've ever seen." He looked down at Kagura, "So, welcome to Fairy Tail. May I ask your name?"

==Two Minutes Later, Far Far Away==

"GRANDPA!" Erza shrieked as the latest blast of magic erupted forward from the crowd of cult mages and demon soldiers. It was blindingly bright and when the light faded, Grandpa Rob was gone. Erza sank to her knees in horror as her friends yelled at her to come on, that they needed to retreat. Then Erza screamed. A massive red magic seal erupted beneath her and all the weapons and tools that had fallen from the hands of her allies suddenly levitated. Erza's eye snapped open and she thrust her hands forward, sending all the weapons flying into the crowd of cult mages, defeating them all in one stroke. She rose to her feet and suddenly a sound of metal striking metal echoed over the sound of the other former slaves wondering what had happened.

Erza turned and saw a boy with white hair in a black coat standing next to a man who looked like Grandpa Rob but with gray hair instead of stark white, "Bravo!" the boy called as he strode up to her, "Sorry I'm late, I only just found out about this place half an hour ago. Don't worry, as you can see Rob's fine, and he'll continue to be fine. I pushed his body back in time to before he was old and sick." He smiled, "I instructed him to sit the rest of this fight out and protect the others, his magic's a lot stronger than it was but he doesn't need to push himself. I think you and I can handle this don't you?"

Erza blinked, "All alone? But, but how?" Oby looked at the crowd of fallen Cult Mages and their demon soldiers, "Well off the top of my head I'd guess with magic, like this," he added as a fresh wave of the cultists charged out of the nearest corridor. He extended a hand and flicked his finger, a jet black hurricane erupted from the palm of his now outstretched hand and hurled all the cultists, along with an entire chunk of the tower skyward. Oby extended his other hand as he caught sight of the handful of prisoners that had been in that chunk and levitated them down behind him. Then he twisted and hurled a punch at the floating cultists. They suddenly splattered like bugs beneath a fly swatter.

Oby extracted his key, "Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" Virgo popped through the gate, "You called?" Oby nodded and pointed to the refugees behind him, "I need you to guard these people while I go with, I'm sorry Miss what was your name?" "Erza," Erza replied in a small voice, "Erza Scarlet." Oby nodded, "I need you to guard these people while I go with Erza to finish taking out the trash." Virgo smiled, "Of course, have fun!" Oby nodded and turned to Erza, "Let's go, you've got friends to save don't you?" Erza blinked and then remembered through the shock of seeing such a powerful wizard appear out of nowhere, "Oh right! We've gotta save Jellal!" Oby made a silght face, "Whaaat? You got a boyfriend already? Poo. Oh well, I've got a girlfriend, so I don't guess it matters. Let's go!"

They ran off a ways and then Oby stopped, "Whoa now, you don't need to fight like that." Erza looked at him in confusion, "Like what?" Oby reached though a magic seal and pulled out a set of armor, "You need some armor." Erza blinked and then accepted it. They spent the next few minutes getting her into it and when they were done Oby stepped back and smiled, "There ya go! That's my Black Wing Armor. It might not fit so well right now, but we can get it tailored to fit after this is over." Erza looked at her now armored hands, "I feel, strong." Oby smiled and drew a sword from another magic seal before handing it to her hilt first, "See how this suits ya."

Erza accepted it and swung it experimentally, "It feels, right." She smiled, "Let's go!" And took off at a run. Oby gently glided alongside her, glowing with blue light, "You know those wings aren't just for show. They do work, and we'll go a lot faster flying." Erza experimentally flapped the wings as she ran and a moment later she was airborne, "This. Is so COOL!" She exclaimed in delight. Oby smiled, "Now let's go save your friend!"

Erza gave a particularly determined beat of her wings and off they shot, deeper and higher into the wretched building known as the R-System.

To call what followed a battle would be vastly overstating the capability of the opponents the two of them faced. It was in fact, an out and out slaughter. Oby paused as Erza tore through a small pack of the enemy, chopping wildly at the last one she got to with reckless abandon even after she had already struck him a deadly blow. Oby slowed time around himself and casually plucked the sword from her hands before dropping back into the time stream, "Erza."

Erza whirled to face him, a wild look still in her eye, and then she saw the look in his. "You're angry," Oby told her, "And you have every right to be. These people have hurt you and your friends beyond any rhyme or reason. You mustn't give in to that dark rage though. Beat them yes, but don't lose yourself to vengeance, or soon you'll be no better than they are. You don't want Jellal or old Rob to see you turning into some raging monster do you?"

Erza flinched slightly, and Oby smiled, "Remember that Erza, fight for your friends, not for revenge. If you wouldn't do something when you're calm, you shouldn't do it when you're angry either. Now come on, we've still got a lot of people we need to save." Erza smiled and nodded, "Right." Oby handed the sword back to her, "Good, now let's go save your boyfriend!" Erza blushed slightly and protested, "He's not my…" Oby just leveled a cool gaze at her and she muttered, "Oh fine, maybe I like him a little. Let's just go already." She stepped past him and he noticed with a smile that she was blushing furiously now. _Dunno who this Jellal guy is, but he's a lucky guy._

Less than half an hour later they had made it to the "Punishment Room". Oby effortlessly blew away the mages guarding the door and then blasted it off its hinges. As Erza ran past him into the room yelling, "Jellal!" Oby walked in more cautiously, casting his gaze about and a snarl forming as he detected a very familiar magic signature. He waved his hand to make sure there was no magic left active in the room and looked again, checking every nook and cranny for the source of the traces of magic that he could still sense lingering all around the room. He growled as he slowed time and looked into the past, easily identifying the ancient wizard that had fled before they had arrived.

He dropped back into sync with the time stream, "Erza put him down." Erza looked at him in surprise, "What? Why?!" "Because," Oby replied as he walked closer, rubbing his palms together and bringing a glow springing to life around his hands, "He's been possessed." Jellal suddenly disappeared and shot a lightning quick kick at Oby's head, his eyes wide and one with a wildly distorted pupil. Oby effortlessly flickered out of the way and slammed Jellal's head into the ground roaring, "BE GONE!"

Jellal howled in pain as red light exploded out of his distorted eye. He convulsed for a moment and then went limp. Erza stared in horror, shaking slightly as she asked, "What did you do to him?" Oby's hand glowed gently as he sat down and got comfortable to continue his work, "I drove out the magic that had possessed him. Now I'm going to wipe his memories of the torment he endured in this room so that those thoughts won't plague him." A few moments later he pulled Jellal up and draped one of his arms across his shoulders before smiling at Erza, "Alright, he should be good to go now."

They walked back out and found one of the cult mages getting back up. Oby sighed irritably, "Ok, I'm out of patience." He suddenly blazed with so much magic power that it totally filled the hallway and was blindingly bright. Erza flinched away slightly, it was like the scent of a coming storm mixed with the terror of its imminent wrath, and there was no mistaking that Oby was the center of it. Oby's eyes blazed particularly bright with the power and he suddenly stamped his foot, "TIME OF DESTRUCTION!"

The entire tower, along with every cultist and guard beast in it, suddenly dissolved into dust and Erza only narrowly managed to snap her wings open in time to avoid falling as the magic energy faded. She stared, "What did you do?!" Oby smiled wryly at her, "I can control time. I blasted the whole tower so far forward into its future that it crumbled to dust." Erza flapped her wings to stay aloft, "Ok, but how are you flying without wings?" Oby smiled, "I'm not flying, I'm standing on an invisible barrier. Just like all those kids down there who I didn't want to drop."

He gently floated down to where Virgo and Rob were still standing watch, "We're back!" Erza glided down behind him and they were both immediately swamped by Erza's friends who all ooh'ed and ah'ed over her new armor.

==The Next Day==

Erza walked over to Rob as the waves gently rocked the ship Oby had made the day before. Oby was now sacked out in a chair with one arm over his eyes sleeping while Milliana and a little girl with white hair tickled his face with a feather. He was pale and had barely moved or woken up since he finished healing everybody and building the ship apparently out of thin air in an instant the day before. "Grandpa Rob?" Erza asked quietly, "Is everyone at Fairy Tail as strong as Oby?" Rob shook his head, "No, I've hardly ever seen a wizard with so much raw power. Even my friend, the Guild Master Makarov, I'm not sure has quite so much. I'll have to ask him how he manages to handle such power." "Why?" Erza asked. Rob smiled at her, "Because Erza I see the same kind of strength in you." Erza blushed in surprise, "You really think I'm as strong as Oby?"

Rob smiled, "Well not yet, your magic is still very new to you, but yes one day I think you'll be as strong as Oby." Oby suddenly got up and dragged himself over to the railing to look out at the sea, still looking very tired but smiling faintly, "Actually Erza probably has more power than me right now. I can boost my power exponentially because of the type of magic I use, but I used up enough to tear down a couple of mountains yesterday. That's why I'm so dead on my feet. I'll go replenish my power now. If you'd like to gather everyone up, I've been told it's quite a sight to behold."

Rob raised one of his massive eyebrows and Erza stared in shock, Oby had less magic power than her? Oby smiled at her out the corner of his eye as he caught her stare, "Don't let my current power levels fool you Erza, I'm at less than two percent of my max right now. I'll show you full power in a minute." Erza stared and as everyone gathered around, Oby hauled himself up onto the rail, flicked them all a casual salute and then hopped overboard. Everyone ran to the railing to try and see what he was doing. Then a massive whirlpool appeared about a kilometer away. "Look at the sky!" someone yelled. Erza looked up and was stunned to see a massive cloud bank being rapidly yanked towards the center of the whirlpool and then down into it.

The whirlpool and funnel cloud raged for several minutes, and then just as the ship was about to be pulled into the whirlpool, both the whirlpool and the funnel cloud suddenly dissipated. The sea slammed closed as the massive suction was released and then something exploded up out of the water, blazing with almost blinding blue light. The shining form zoomed through the air at remarkable speed, painting Fairy Tail's emblem on the dark clouds overhead in pale blue light and then shooting down to the deck of the ship. As it landed they saw that it was Oby, and about the time they realized it was him he thrust his hands towards the patchwork sails. A massive gale suddenly shoved the ship forward at such a phenomenal rate that everyone standing was yanked off their feet by the change in momentum. The air seemed dark except for the blazing blue light around Oby as he propelled the ship forward.

A few moments later the air cleared and Oby moved in the blink of an eye to toss the anchor overboard, cheerfully waving and calling, "Welcome to Magnolia everybody! All ashore who's going ashore! I'll go tell everyone you're here!" He back flipped into the air and spun away through the sky laughing, the pale weak form from just a few moments earlier nothing but a thing of the past.

==That Night==

Oby gently woke Master Makarov, "Master, can we talk?" Makarov groaned, "What time is it?" "About four in the morning," Oby replied, "Please, it's important." Makarov pulled himself upright, "Alright, what is it?" Oby jerked his head towards the door, "Let's talk outside. This isn't something anyone but you needs to hear." Makarov grumbled but he came along. Oby sat down on the grass outside and Makarov stood so that he wouldn't fall asleep.

"So? What is it that's so important you'd wake me up at four in the morning?" Makarov grumped. Oby pulled his knees up to his chin, "There's something I never told you about my old guild. The Master's real name. I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd never want to hear what had become of him." Makarov raised an eyebrow, "Go on." "He goes by Master Hades, but you know him," Oby steeled his nerves and said quietly, "As Precht Gaebolg." Makarov stepped back in horror and indignation, "What are you saying?! How do you even know who that is?! If this is some kind of joke, it's not funny!" he shouted. Oby shot him a hard look, "I know who he is because he taught me everything I knew! He's the strongest wizard I've ever met! Why do you think I joined Fairy Tail?! I knew it was his guild and that meant it was the best!"

He looked back out at the sea, "And he was the one behind that cult that was trying to build the R-System." Makarov took a horrified step back, "WHAT?!" "I wouldn't have suspected it either," Oby said quietly, "If I hadn't felt the magical energy signature of some of my friends I would never have figured it out. It all makes a horrible sort of sense now. Master Hades is obsessed with reviving the Black Wizard Zeref. He must've meant to use the R-System for that. I knew he was a killer willing to destroy as many lives as he had to, but this is just horrible, even by the standards I had come to expect."

They were silent for what seemed like a long time and then Oby said quietly, "I'm going after him. My friends are brutal and vicious and crazy, but they're not too far gone. Him though, they'll never be able to get off that dark path as long as they're under his sway. I have to get rid of him." He rose to his feet and Makarov caught his hand, "What are you saying?! You just said he's the most powerful wizard you've ever met! How are you going to beat him?! At least let me come with you! He was my master too, that makes it my fight as well!"

Oby smiled and shook his head, "No Master, I need you to stay here." "But why?!" Makarov yelled, "Why do you have to do this alone?! And I'm not saying I'm going to let you!" Oby looked down at him, "Because Master I need you to watch over them for me. Ultear and Cana, and all those kids I brought in today! They don't have anywhere to go, they need Fairy Tail and they need _you_ Master!"

Makarov didn't have a comeback to that and then Oby continued quietly, "Look, I don't know how to tell her, but I found out when I met her. Erza is the twin sister of the girl I refused to kill. I was moving on, I had almost gotten over Zera's death, but seeing Erza is like seeing my Zera again with red hair. Now all the pain is back Master, and now I'm strong enough that I can win. I've got to avenge Z. I have to save my friends to make sure he doesn't hurt them like he did us! Please Master, let me do this! I've mastered every kind of Lost Magic in Grimoire Heart's arsenal, I can do this!"

Makarov wanted to argue, but he bit it back and sighed, "Alright, I'll let you go on one condition. You have to come back alive! Whether you succeed in avenging that girl or not, make it back alive or so help me I'll kill you!" Oby smiled, "Yes Master. Thank you." The wind picked up ever so slightly and Oby disappeared like dust on the breeze. "Be careful," Makarov said quietly.

"That boy has quite a chip on his shoulder," Rob said as he walked up, "All that power and he wasn't able to save the person he cared about." Makarov looked up at his old friend, "Are you trying to say I can't protect my children?" Rob shook his head, "No, only that you worry about them too much. Have faith in them. Even if he's telling the truth, and the man he seeks vengeance upon is our old Master, I do not believe he will lose. Just yesterday he destroyed a building the size of a small town with one spell, and he brought everyone who had been in the building down safely, all without breaking a sweat. This was after he had spent almost half an hour fighting alongside Erza to save our friend Jellal, healing me and making me feel younger than I have in a decade, and blocking the blast that probably would have killed me. Not to mention summoning that Celestial Spirit of his and how swiftly he arrived on the battlefield. He picked me up and carried me to safety before anyone even realized he was there. I daresay he's strong enough to be one of the Ten Wizard Saints, and he's still only a boy."

Makarov sighed, "Yes, he is powerful alright. He beat Gildarts a few months ago, tied him up, paraded him around the guild hall and made him ask out Ur, who is now his wife. Before that he slew the demon Deliora, apparently rebuilt a city afterwards and still had enough energy to go and pull Macao and Wakaba's chops out of the fire and bring down the Dark Guild Death's Head Caucus. According to them, he took down all but two or three of their members alone, and he did it in the time it took them to take on the master of Death's Head Caucus. Not to mention the glowing reviews about his performance in dealing with a small army of those cultists when the guilds banded together to crush them. Yes, that boy is by far the most powerful I've ever seen, but I still worry."

Rob smiled, "Of course you do, that's what good parents do. By the way, I meant to ask earlier, do you think Porlyusica would help with Erza's eye? It was taken from her in that wretched place, and Oby says he can't restore it himself." Makarov nodded, "I'm sure she will, she helped fix Ur's leg after all." He sighed and looked out at the sea, "And it's good to have you back Rob. We'll go see Porlyusica tomorrow. Maybe Oby will be back by then. It wouldn't be the first time he's made short work of an opponent nobody else thought could be defeated."


	6. Chapter 6: Ghosts

Chapter 6 – Ghosts

==Nearly An Hour Later==

Azuma paused, "Are we losing altitude?" Zancrow sucker punched him, "Keep your head in the fight ma…" Azuma's return punch launched Zancrow out of the ring. Azuma looked around, "We _are_ losing altitude." Zancrow sat up, "Shit, you don't think it's because…" Azuma's eyes met his and Zancrow stopped and glanced away, "Right. Sorry." Hades' voice suddenly echoed over the intercom, "Seven Kin! Assemble on the command deck at once!" Azuma and Zancrow exchanged a worried look and took off at a run.

==Three Minutes Later==

By the time they got there Rusty and Maria were already there, and Kain huffed in a moment later. "What's going on?!" Zancrow barked as he and Azuma crashed in. "We're trying to figure that out," Hades declared, the slight tension in his voice the only thing giving away his worry, "I've already checked the entire ship for spells which could have altered the controls, and there are none. I checked for gravity magic, but that's not it either. Someone from Grimoire Heart is behind this."

"You mean we've got a traitor?!" Zancrow exclaimed, instantly erupting into flames, "Point me at em! I'll roast their miserable hides!" "Has anyone else noticed that this is a controlled descent?" Rusty asked calmly as he looked out the glass dome of the command deck, "We're not falling out of the air, someone's bringing us down very gently." "It could just be Bluenote not feeling like flying back up," Maria suggested. Hades shook his head, "No, I checked with him. He's still nearly an hour away from the rendezvous point." "What's that?" Kain asked as he pointed out to the east of the dome.

Everyone turned to look and stared as a blazing streak of blue light shot by overhead and demolished a nearby mountaintop on its way through. "That almost hit us!" Azuma exclaimed, "If we had been any higher it would've done that to us!" The ship's descent suddenly accelerated, and as they watched, there was no mistake that the ship was heading towards the valley where the light had landed. "Well," Hades declared as he requipped into his battle helmet and cape, "I think we're about to find out who took over our ship."

==Ten Minutes Later==

Hades personally lead the investigation squad, which was actually the entirety of Grimoire Heart, off the ship a moment after it landed. A figure in a black robe and hood with a featureless white mask was waiting for them, arms crossed and silent. Hades stopped about a hundred feet from the imposing figure, "Who are you? What business have you with Grimoire Heart?" "I am here to challenge you Hades," the figure replied coolly, "I challenge you for control of Grimoire Heart!"

All present stared and then Hades barked, "Foot soldiers, eliminate this wretch!" The small army of dark wizards Grimoire Heart had brought in over the last three years charged and were blown aside like dust in the wind as the masked figure tilted its head with glowing eyes. Hades and the five of the seven present stared in shock at the effortless display of power. "You would send rabble like that to fight me?" The masked figure asked quietly, "That's insulting."

Zancrow stepped forward popeyed and blazing with black flames in fury, "You want a piece of us buddy?!" "SIT DOWN." The masked figure commanded. Zancrow sat and his flames immediately snuffed themselves out. Then he blinked and leapt up, his flames blazing to life, "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TELLING ME TO SIT DOWN?!" Zancrow suddenly found himself sitting down wrapped in anti-magic chains. "When you need to know, you will, so 'til then just chill Pycrow." the masked figure told him bluntly, having seemingly not even moved. Zancrow sat forward angrily and then something visibly hit him. "No way," he whispered in shock and then he yelled, "IS THAT YOU?!"

Everyone else looked at him, "Who? Who is it Zancrow?" Azuma asked. Then Hades saw the look in Zancrow's eyes and his own widened as it hit him too, "No…" He turned and fired a bolt of magic at the mysterious figure, "SHOW ME YOUR FACE!" The masked figure effortlessly dodged so fast that there was a mere flicker as he leaned out of the way and straightened back up. Hades blinked and then growled, "Let's see you dodge this boy! Ameterasu Fifty Six Circle Formula!" A cage of pale purple magic seals erupted around the masked figure, and before they could detonate, they winked out of existence.

Hades stared in horror as Zancrow yelled, "You told us he was dead!" "Who?! Who is it?!" Rusty demanded impatiently. "Rusty dusty nose in books so musty and he's the frog that sits in the well," the masked figure rattled off effortlessly. Rusty froze, his eyes wide and then he stepped back and stared, for once in his life at a total loss for words.

Maria looked at them and her patience finally gave out, "Who are you?! Just come out and say it!" The masked figure laughed quietly, "Did you ever finish that song about the ravens?" Maria took a step back, "How do you…I never told anyone about that!" "Really?" The masked figure asked, "There was one person who knew." Maria stepped back and her eyes widened, "No, you, you can't be…he's dead…" "Am I?" Maria sank to her knees trembling as the undeniable reality sank in, "No…"

Kain and Azuma were both extremely frustrated and then a wind that smelled faintly like vanilla blew over them and they both realized who was behind the mask just as he reached up to remove it, "Yes." Oby's eyes met each of theirs in turn, and then he leveled a cold gaze at Hades, "You took them away from me." "You were a traitor," Hades replied coldly. "Refusing to kill my partner without any evidence to support an accusation of treason is not treason Hades," Oby stated coldly, "Blowing your own daughter's head off in front of me and trying to kill me for not doing it myself though, that is a terrible betrayal of trust. One that I won't let you repeat. So I reiterate my challenge for control of Grimoire Heart. I'm giving you a sporting chance, you have until three to take it. _One._ "

Before anyone could say anything Hades stepped forward, "Very well," he declared, "I can see you need one final lesson in humility boy. I will not hold _back!_ " He suddenly shot forward too fast for any of the others to see, and an instant later Oby had him by the back of the head and slammed him face first into the dirt. Oby slammed a punch into Hades' shoulder and shattered it effortlessly. Then he yanked Hades by the scruff of the neck and hurled him over half a mile, before launching after him in a blaze of blue light which was only visible because of the afterimage left in his wake. "That's Heavenly Body Magic!" Maria exclaimed.

Oby seemed to teleport in front of Hades his eyes blazing with power even in the glow of his aura. Before Hades could move Oby had latched a magic chain onto him and spun, slinging Hades like a chain mace, effortlessly smashing him through several trees before he broke free. Hades landed on his feet, his shoulder already three quarters healed, "Ameterasu Hundred Circle Formula!" Just as it was about to detonate Oby seemed to teleport again, and this time he threw Hades into the circle, just as it was going off. After the massive explosion blew down most of the forest Hades pushed himself back to his feet, "Very clev-" BOOM!

Oby's massive uppercut launched Hades fifty feet into the air. Hades quickly activated his own Heavenly Body Magic and, "FLAME GOD HOWL!" A massive blast of jet black flames engulfed what was left of the forest and Hades smiled slightly, "Nice try boy, but you-" "HOLY SHADOW DEMON RAGE!" A bolt of mixed black and white energy slammed into Hades from above. Hades slammed into the ground again and then he started trying to eat the darkness and light from the blast at once, but wielding two elements in tandem was something only Maria and Oby had perfected, so he had a very difficult time. Then a massive force slammed down on him from above and flattened him against the ground.

Hades struggled to rise as the hurricane dissipated, "Bluenote?!" Then he saw Oby zooming around him, effortlessly devouring the flames he had set an instant earlier. Oby devoured all the flames in less than a minute, then he landed in a wide legged stance behind Hades. Just as Hades broke free of his gravity magic and turned, he saw what Oby was doing. The clouds overhead split and a massive fireball came rocketing towards him. Hades took a fraction of a second to be impressed with his prize pupil's skill and then he leapt and snagged the meteor with a magic chain and slung it off course at Oby.

The meteor shattered under the force of the punch Oby met it with, but by then Hades had already prepped, "GRIMOIRE LAW! This has gone on long eno-WHAT?!" The Grimoire Law spell had just winked out of existence. "Ah-ah-ah," Oby tutted with a grin and a wag of his finger, "This is my challenge remember? _So_ _I'm_ _in control_!" He suddenly seemed to teleport again and blasted Hades point blank with Crash magic.

Hades flew backwards into an unburned patch of forest and Oby landed, " _TERRA CLAMARE!_ " The forest around Hades promptly exploded. Hades flew out of the flames a moment later a hundred feet in the air, his Devils Eye active and his hands in position for "KATSU!" The blast of darkness, a force more powerful and terrible than even the Abyss Break slammed into Oby and left a crater a kilometer wide and half as deep. Oby was nowhere to be seen as Hades landed at the edge of the crater, "And that's the end of that." He turned and strode back towards the ship, the Kin of Purgatory staring in shock. Then he suddenly roared in anguish and was bent double in pain clutching his eye as blood spurted between his fingers.

Oby appeared right behind him with a needle pressed into a Curse Doll like the ones Kain was learning to use and a vicious grin as he declared, "Arc of Embodiment Curse Doll and Requip Purgatory Armor." Hades staggered and turned, his one eye left now wide in horror instead of rage. "He put on his armor…" Zancrow whispered. Rusty stared, "That means…" "He's been playing around this whole time…" Azuma finished in a stunned voice. "Using our magic as well as we do was just his warm up act?" Maria asked in horror.

"That's right," Oby declared as his grin went from vicious to utterly evil. He shot forward and started pummeling Hades, effortlessly smacking him around like a ragdoll even though his curse doll lay untouched on the ground. Hades tried to fight back, and despite being a master hand to hand fighter, Oby still made blocking and dodging his every attack look easy as he rained down blow after blow on Hades. He effortlessly drove Hades back, finishing with one tremendous uppercut that launched Hades flying. "Now then," he said quietly as his magic power erupted into visibility around him, easily blazing twenty feet high before he teleported to above Hades and roared, "STOOORM GOOOD, _**HOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL**_!"

The following hurricane slammed Hades into the ground with such force that it left a crater comparable to the impact of the Katsu. Oby landed next to Hades as his former master struggled to rise. "How?" Hades asked as he climbed back to his feet, "How have you grown so powerful? So much magic, you could never have learned all this and become so strong in the four years since I threw you out! There's just not enough time!" Oby smiled with a hint of pride, "That thing you thought I couldn't do until we reached the Grand Magic World? I did it."

Hades' eye widened, "You, that's, that's impossible…You perfected the Arc of Time?!" Oby's smile didn't waver, "You said there wasn't enough time, but I have all the time in the world. I won't go back in time because I know the effects that such an action could have," now his smile vanished, "and that means that all the time with Zera you stole from me is lost to me forever." His eyes started glowing again, "And now I'm going to make you pay for taking her from me." Hades blinked as he finally realized, "You loved her?" "You have no idea how much she and the others mean to me," Oby told him quietly, "I'll never let you do to them what you did to us."

Then he teleported again, this time reappearing high overhead blazing with power as he roared, "SO HERE'S THE FINAL BLOW! STORM GOD SLAYER SECRET ART!" Hades stared, _I didn't teach him any of those!_ Oby grinned, " _MOUNTAIN THROWING."_ All present gawked and Zancrow asked in a slight panic, "DID HE JUST SAY MOUNTAIN THROWING?!" Then magic chains shot out from Oby's hands into the mountain behind him, and an instant later it started to rumble before suddenly floating into the air atop a hurricane. "THIS IS THE END FOR YOU HADES!" Oby roared, "BE GOOONE!" He ripped the chains over his head and sent the mountain hurtling towards Hades just as a voice screamed "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Hades closed his eye and prepared for death, and then, it didn't come. Oby stared and floated back down to the ground, easily tossing the mountain back where he'd gotten it, his feud with Hades totally forgotten as Zera ran towards him, "You're alive…" Zera ran up to him and tackled him in a hug, " _You're_ alive!" Then she pulled back and slapped his chest, "What are you doing throwing mountains at my dad?!" Oby flinched slightly and had trouble meeting her gaze, "Um well, thought, thought you were dead. Had to um, had to kill him for that. I'm kind of embarrassed now."

"Why the hell would you think _I_ was dead?" she exclaimed, "He told us you were dead!" "Yes well, we've never seen him fail to kill something he wanted dead, and I honestly wasn't expecting him to tell me to kill you and then do it himself when I wouldn't. That was my so called treason by the way. Yeah getting shredded to bits and thrown out of my own ship at ten thousand feet really hurt." Then he finally met her gaze, "Losing you hurt a lot more." Zera blushed slightly, "Is that what happened?"

Then she turned to the others and barked, "I TOLD YOU HE WOULD NEVER HAVE BETRAYED US!" "YOU SAID NOTHING OF THE SORT!" Zancrow snapped back. "She did cry though!" Azuma qualified. "Every night for six months and we still weren't talking about you to keep her from bawling at the mere mention of you!" Maria added cheerfully. "Her mourning of you was quite poetic!" Rusty declared with a grin and the blatant fib, "Not that any of us missed you." "Even ice cream didn't help!" Kain declared with tears in his eyes.

Zera blushed and had a hard time meeting Oby's gaze, "I, I did not." "WILL YOU JUST KISS HIM ALREADY?!" Zancrow yelled impatiently. "Maybe," Zera muttered and then Oby kissed her. She kissed back quite enthusiastically. After they came up for air she asked, "Where have you been all this time?" Oby smiled slightly, "I actually joined his old guild Fairy Tail." Zera blushed, "What?! But how can you come back if you're a member of another guild?" Oby smiled slightly with a shrug, "I can't." "SO WHY DID YOU CHALLENGE MASTER HADES FOR CONTROL OF THE GUILD?!" Zancrow shouted. "I was going to bring you all back to Fairy Tail with me," Oby replied, "You'd all be very welcome." "No way," Zera declared firmly, "I'm Zera Gaebolg of Grimoire Heart, no other guild. If you want to join them, that's fine, we'll keep your spot open with the 7 Kin, but I'm not leaving."

Oby started to protest and she laid a finger on his lips, "And don't worry, I'm not letting him off the hook. You just won control of Grimoire Heart," "I'M NOT DEAD YET!" Hades protested. Zera's face twisted with barely contained rage and before anyone could stop her, her hand snapped out and launched a sword out of a seal and straight through Hades' head with a black lightning bolt hot on its heels. "Yes you are," she said quietly. She laid her head on Oby's chest, "Now hand over control of Grimoire Heart to me. I'll be the new Guild Master in my father's place."

Bluenote Stinger looked at Hades' charred and bloody remains and then at the reunited 7 Kin of Purgatory and raised his hands, "I'm out. Bye kids. Good luck with life!" He looked at the rabble that had so recently joined and been so easily swept away by Oby's magic, "You lot comin?" They all climbed to their feet, tossed their Grimoire Heart masks and walked away. "YOU SHITTY TRAITORS!" Zancrow yelled, "FLAME GOD-" Then Azuma laid a hand on his shoulder, "Calm down Zancrow. We don't need them, and they're not worth cooking." For once in his life, Zancrow actually listened to Azuma and snorted, "Yeah, you're right. Still pisses me off."

Zera blushed shyly, "Um, I kept something for you." A small book appeared in her hand and she pressed it into Oby's with a shy smile, "I never knew you thought I was so cute." Oby smiled and laid his forehead against hers, "You read my grimoire huh?" Zera smiled slightly, "It was all I had left of you. Keeping dad from burning it wasn't easy. Gave the lie to so much of what he said." She laid her forehead on his chest, "I can't believe that monster made me and Erza with black magic…" Oby's head snapped upright, "Erza! I almost forgot! I found her!"

Zera's head snapped up, "WHAT?! WHERE?!" "She was one of the slaves at the last R-System site," Oby said quietly. Zera's eyes widened, "What?" Oby nodded, "No need to go get her, I flattened it and busted everybody out the day before yesterday. She's fine, I think she's going to join Fairy Tail." "Take me to her," Zera said quietly. Oby nodded, "Shall we fly ourselves or take the ship?" "It's been a long night," Zera smiled, "Let's take the ship. You haven't seen the new rec room. Can you believe Zancrow got us a pool table?" "And I'm totally awesome at it!" Zancrow declared happily. "Rusty beats him every time," Zera whispered with a grin. "I HEARD THAT!" Zancrow yelled. Zera laughed and Oby smiled, "Hey the sun's coming up!"

==An Hour Later==

Erza stirred slightly as someone poked her, "What?" "Hey sis, long time no see." Erza's eyes snapped open and she found Zera crouching in front of her. The whole guild woke up as Erza's shriek of delight rattled it. Everyone stared and then Zancrow said from around a mouthful of fire, "Man Zera, your sister's as loud as I am." Azuma poked his head out of the bar and materialized into the barstool next to him, "Nobody's as loud as you Zancrow." "He has a point," Maria called from the middle of the Clive family pile. Gildarts, Ur, Ultear, Cana, Gray and Lyon all looked at her, "Who are you?!"

Master Makarov sat up from where he had been sleeping on the bar, "OBYYY! Who are all these people?!" "We are Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin of Purgatory," Rusty declared with a grin from behind the bar. "We're Oby's old team," Kain declared with a smile as he happily munched a sandwich. Oby grinned as he teleported in, "Everybody getting acquainted alright?" Makarov looked at him as he appeared on the bar next to him, "You don't look any worse for wear. I was expecting you to be a lot more beat up." Oby shrugged with a grin, "I told you I'd win. Zera's the new Guild Master of Grimoire Heart."

Makarov raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that the name of the girl you said was dead?" "I thought she was, turns out Ol' Hades pulled one over on me before he tried to kill me. Zera's just fine. Can't say the same for Hades though. He'll never hurt anyone again," Oby declared with a sober smile. Then he added, "Zera and the others have agreed to try to get Grimoire Heart recognized as an official guild. We were wondering if you could help out with that." Makarov thought for a moment, "You say Zera's the new guild master? She doesn't look old enough. It'll be hard to make the council take them seriously." Oby smiled, "Oh that's easy, check this out." He snapped his fingers and he, Zera, Erza, Rusty, Kain, Maria, Zancrow and Azuma all suddenly grew ten years in an instant. "Age is just a number Master," Oby said with a smile. Makarov blinked and then nodded, "That might work. You say they're all powerful wizards?" Oby nodded, "Very."

Makarov _hmmm_ ed, "Will you be rejoining them if they do become an official guild?" Oby shook his head, "No, I've grown to like Fairy Tail. I honestly tried to get them to join us, but Zera put her foot down. So we've got a new allied guild. Great stuff huh?" Makarov thought for a moment, and then he nodded, "Yes, you've done good Oby." Zera called, "Oby, can you turn us back now? I think some of Erza's friends are going to die of nosebleeds if you don't." Erza blinked and then looked, "Jellal! Simon! What's wrong with you two?!" Jellal and Simon had lost so much blood through the nose in the space of a few minutes at the sight of a full grown Erza and Zera that they were barely conscious as they high fived each other, "Best wake up call ever," Jellal grinned with hearts in his eyes. "Oh yeah," Simon agreed with an equal number of hearts in his.

==A Week Later==

Ultear found Oby walking through town, "Whatcha doooin'?" Oby smiled, "Oh hi Ultear! Eh, I'm looking for a house. If I can't find one, then I'll head out of town and find a spot to build one." "Oh that's, that's cool," Ultear replied, a streak of worry shooting through her, _he can't be planning to move in with her already can he?_ She walked alongside him quietly for a little while and then, "So, you and uh, you and Zera huh?" Oby shook his head, "Nope." Ultear tilted her head, "But Zancrow said you and her…" "Were in love?" Oby finished, "Zancrow runs his mouth too much. Yes we were, but four years apart can put an end to things like that easily. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for her, and I would've been delighted to pick back up where we left off, but we agreed that she didn't need a relationship to deal with on top of trying to run Grimoire Heart and getting it officially recognized. So we've moved on."

Ultear raised an eyebrow with a slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, "Wow, that's, really quick. I would've expected you to be really upset about something like that. She seems like a really great girl." Oby smiled at her, "She is, and yes I was upset, but since I can control time, I was able to take all the time I needed to make my peace with it and with her in the blink of an eye." He looked up at the clouds, "She's amazing, and she's going to be a great Guild Master. The others are rowdy sometimes, but she can handle them. They respect her and I know she'll lead them to greatness. I would've gone with them, but my place is with Fairy Tail now."

Ultear smiled, "Sooo, you're in the market?" Oby looked around at the market, "I think we both are aren't we?" Ultear laughed, "No! I mean the market for a girlfriend." Oby's eyebrows shot behind his bangs, "Oh!" then he grinned, "Well Gray and Lyon might hate me for it, but if you're offering I'm very much game to go out with you." Ultear wrapped around his arm with a huge smile, "It's a date! Gray and Lyon'll get over it."


	7. Chapter 7: A Time Wizard's House

Chapter 7 – A Time Wizard's House

==The Next Day==

Oby rumbled with dissatisfaction as he looked out at Magnolia from the top of the Guild Hall, "Looks like I'm gonna have to go check the countryside for a good spot. Can't believe I couldn't find a place in town." He rose and sighed, "I suppose it will be good for privacy though." He suddenly vanished with nothing but a little bamf of air smacking into the empty space where he'd been an instant earlier.

A few moments later there was a massive blast across the water from the Guild Hall. A large crater appeared in the side of a mountain and then a huge wave erupted from the lake and whirled into it. Most of the guild ran outside to see what was happening and they stared as Oby put the water back where he'd gotten it, only for it to course back into the crater where he'd blasted it below the water line. "What's he doing?!" Makarov demanded, "Is he practicing his magic on the mountain? Someone get over there and find out what he's doing!" Laxus stepped forward, "Yeah I'm on it." He disappeared in a flash of lightning.

He reappeared on the top edge of the massive crater and raised an eyebrow, "What _is_ he doing?" Oby was standing on a largely circular platform of stone which looked like it had been sand blasted smooth. There were three levels to the platform and he seemed to be washing the edge of one with a whirling torrent of high pressure water. Laxus teleported down teleported down to the highest of the three tiers in another flash of lightning, and appeared sitting on its edge, "Oby!" Oby paused washing the stone and Laxus saw that he had actually washed a considerable amount of the stone away, "Oh hey Laxus. Sorry about all the noise, construction's not a quiet job. It'll be much quieter now that I've gotten all that rock I didn't need out of the way. That was the only part that's likely to be so very loud."

Laxus raised an eyebrow, "What are you building that you had to demolish a mountainside for?" Oby smiled, "I'm building myself a house." He pointed to the massive opening out onto the lake, "I've got a great view of the Guild Hall, I've got all the water I can drink, and I won't have to deal with noisy neighbors. I'm going to put the first three floors here on this platform, and then I'm going to build on up the walls as I please."

Laxus raised an eyebrow, "All by yourself?" Oby grinned, "Yeah, I'll probably be done by tomorrow evening. I can't use my Arc of Time again today because I spent so much time searching for the right spot to build in with it, but this'll be done in no time once I'm able to use it again." Laxus sat forward, "You do know that houses usually take a few weeks to build right?" Oby grinned, "Yeah but most people aren't me! Just watch, this is gonna be great." Laxus slid down to the next level of the stone, "Alright, I guess I'll leave you to it then." He teleported away and Oby went back to carving.

==A Moment Later==

"He's building a house?" Makarov asked as Laxus relayed what Oby had told him, "All by himself?" Laxus nodded, "That's what he said. If he's as good at building stuff as he is at destroyin' things I suppose he's in good shape. I wouldn't hold my breath on his claim that he'll be done by tomorrow night though." Makarov looked at him, "He claimed he'll be done by tomorrow?" Laxus nodded, "That's right. I dunno if he's cocky, crazy or dead serious, but I guess we'll know tomorrow."

Rob smiled, "I wouldn't doubt him. He built the ship we got here on in the blink of an eye. I'm sure he'll impress us again." Makarov looked at him in surprise, "He did?" Rob nodded. Makarov looked at the ship, which was still moored right outside the Guild Hall, "I didn't realize that."

==Meanwhile==

Oby quickly bounced up the steps he had just finished carving to what was to be the first enclosed floor. He scratched his head, "Maybe I should have gone for a precision carve, not sure how well Arc of Trees'll work on solid stone, and I don't want to pulverize it to make soil or risk the roots shattering my floor…" He looked around and then his eyes lit on a spot in the wall. A crafty grin split his face, "That'll work." He jumped up to the wall on a burst of wind, "Disassembly!" A circular web of white energy erupted from his hands and slammed into the rock, neatly slicing it into perfect bricks. Oby caught the falling bricks with his barrier magic and strained a little as he set them on the foundation he had carved, carefully holding them in place with his Barrier to keep them from collapsing and scattering into the water below.

He landed on top of them and started lifting the bricks out and setting them on the lower level. Before long he had removed all the bricks except the ones he wanted for the walls. Then he selected a layer and lifted them up to the top layer, easily setting them in place. He rubbed his chin, "Now how am I gonna keep it from falling apart when I lower my barrier?" He smacked a fist into his hand, "Got it!" He raised his hands, "Flame God Kagatsuchi!" A storm of black flames erupted away from his hands and melted the stone in a matter of minutes. Soon Oby was laying a water wrapped hand to the molten stone and drawing the heat out using his immunity to heat from his combined Flame and Sea God Slayer magics to keep it from burning his hand off as he easily drained the heat away.

When he was done he was still sweating profusely, but he had brought the molten stone back to solidity in less than half an hour. He leapt up to the mountaintop on a blast of wind and blew out a hurricane of black flames as wide as all of Magnolia and every bit as high. When he was done he summoned a massive gale and dispersed the heat through the sky to keep from turning an already warm day into a lethally hot scorcher. He then flew down into the lake to cool off. He sat at the bottom for several minutes contemplating the design of the rest of the building while he cooled down, and then he swam back over to his construction site.

He surfaced and found Master Makarov waiting for him, "Hi Master!" Makarov looked at him, "Why did you such blow an inferno into the sky that the temperature in town jumped five degrees even after you dispersed it?" Oby laughed nervously as he climbed out of the water, "Sorry about that, I had to get rid of the heat. I would've dumped it into the lake, but that would've boiled it and killed all the fish, not to mention burning anyone in it. If I had fired at the walls it would've done the same thing, so the sky was the only safe place to send it. I'll see about bringing in some rain if you want me to."

Makarov shook his head, "That won't be necessary, just please don't do it again. You've got the whole town talking wondering what the heck you're doing over here." Oby scratched his head with a nervous grin, "Well, I guess I should've seen that coming. Even for me, that was a lot of fire." Makarov nodded, "Yes." Then he turned to what of the structure was done, "So where did all that heat come from? None of this looks to have been on fire recently." Oby's nervous grin turned to a proud one, "That's because I melted and solidified the rocks to make them hold together properly. That's where all the heat came from, I couldn't sit here holding it in my barrier until my time magic came back to accelerate the hardening, so I did it manually. Also, I probably wouldn't have had any control of where the heat went if I had just sped up the cooling. I didn't really expect it to turn out this well, I think I turned it into marble!" Makarov nodded, "It seems you have." He turned to leave with a small smile, "Well, keep up the good work and please refrain from making the temperature jump again. It's pleasantly warm now, but it'll be sweltering if it gets much hotter."

Oby grinned, "Yessir. No more super temperature jumps. Look on the bright side, it's warm enough for a beach party now." Makarov paused and thought for a moment, "Beach party…That's actually a good idea! I'll go get everyone started preparing for it! Make sure you make it over to enjoy it!" Oby grinned, "I'll do my best!" Makarov flew off and Oby started carving out a door into the stone so that he could go inside.

==Two Days Later==

Oby woke up in his bed, in his house. He rolled out of bed grinning slightly, "I _did_ finish." He strolled across the wooden floor and down the steps to the living room where he was surprised to find Cana and Ultear waiting for him. "Hi Oby!" Ultear called. "Nice place ya got here!" Cana added with a grin. Oby blinked and smiled weakly, "Thanks, I like it too. Is anyone else here?" Ultear smiled, "Well…Most of the guild's been through looking, we didn't go in your room because we knew you were sleeping, but everyone wanted to come look. Nobody's ever seen a house that was built in two days, especially not one this nice!"

"Polished wood floors and walls, marble tower in the middle, library as big as the one at the guild hall and I don't know what this furniture is made of but it's super comfy. The kitchen's all ready to go and the whole place looks amazing. You made a tile roof and bored a tunnel out through the mountainside for your fire place and all of the metal in the building looks like it was hand made. You're a one-man construction crew!" Cana declared with a big smile. Ultear smiled lopsidedly, "You should really consider working construction jobs. I bet people would pay monster fighting money for buildings like this. How long did this take you? A fraction of a minute?"

Oby smiled, "Actually it took me about a week nonstop in my time stop. I won't be able to use my time magic at all for the next week." Ultear raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? That's still amazingly fast." Oby's smile grew slightly, "I actually wasn't trying that hard. I didn't lay any defensive enchantments or anything, normally when I build something I enchant the heck out of it. The ship I made to bring all those kids from the R-System back here? They didn't realize it because I was using my Sky God Slayer magic to propel it, but it can actually fly." Ultear and Cana stared for a moment and then Ultear grinned, "Yeah right."

Oby raised an eyebrow, "No really! I built Grimoire Heart's airship all by myself the same way I built that one. The only difference is that I was able to put two or three time stops into working on it instead of just one. If I say I made something that can fly, it can fly." Ultear raised her hands with an I-still-don't-believe-you-but-I'm-not-going-to-push-the-matter smile, "Ok, ok, it can fly." Oby frowned, "You don't believe me." Ultear smiled, "Not for a minute." Oby snorted in mild irritation, "Alright then I'll take you up after breakfast." Ultear smiled, "Sure you will."

==An Hour Later==

"Ok, I admit it, I was wrong," Ultear said with a grin as the countryside drifted by beneath them. Oby grinned proudly and then his smile grew as she gave him a peck on the cheek. Makarov walked up grinning from ear to ear, "I bet Bob and Goldmine are gonna flip! Everybody's going to want one of these!" Oby smiled, "It'll cost em! I'll give a slight discount because they're friends, but they still won't be cheap." "That's the spirit Oby!" Makarov laughed. Oby patted the rail, "What do you think of auctioning off this tub? I can do way better, this was a rush job." Makarov thought for a moment and then raised a finger, "Do we get an inhouse discount on ours?" Oby grinned, "It's for Fairy Tail! That means it's free!" Makarov grinned from ear to ear, "Excellent! Do I get to help design it?" Oby smiled, "I'll build to specifications as best as I can."


	8. Chapter 8: Year X777, Dragons and Trials

Chapter 8-Dragons and Trials

==Nine Months Later==

Oby paused as a voice called, "Excuse me! Are you Oberon?" Oby turned, "I am. Who's asking?" The stately woman walked up, "I am Layla Heartfilia, a Celestial Wizard. I understand you hold the key of Virgo the Maiden?" Oby hopped back a half step his hands coming out of his pockets ready to fight, "You can't have her if that's what you're asking!" Layla blinked and then she smiled brightly, "Oh no nothing of the sort! I wanted to ask you a favor." Oby relaxed a little, not a lot and asked warily, "What sort of favor?" "I am the most recent of a long line of Celestial Wizards and this July a date which was decided four hundred years ago is rolling around. I know it may sound hard to believe, but I will be opening a gate into the past so that five heroes may pass through, in the hopes that they can save the world from a force that may one day soon rear its head to threaten the world once again."

Oby raised a finger, "One moment," He paused time for a moment and closed his eyes, the past flashing before them. A few minutes later he lowered the time stop, "I can see that you are telling the truth. Being a time wizard myself I'd ordinarily be a little reluctant to tamper with the past, I know how terrible the results can be. However, given that the five have already been pulled from their proper place in the time stream, I think I can safely assume that opening the gate for them to pass through on this end will not damage history. I can see that you need all twelve zodiac keys, how many do you have thus far?"

Layla thought for a moment, "You make four, assuming Grammi can make it back from Alakitasia in time." Oby nodded, "Not a problem, I can get her here in an instant. Also, consider it six, I know where Leo and Aries are. Probably have to bribe Karin since she's such a rat. I'll help you run down the other six. On one condition." Layla tilted her head inquisitively, "Yes?" "There are two girls at Fairy Tail, Sorano and Yukino Aguria, both have expressed an interest in learning Celestial Spirit Magic, I want you to teach them." Layla smiled, "I'd be happy to."

"Excellent!" Oby declared, "Then I'd say we've got a deal!"

==Three Months Later==

Oby paused and set his drink down as he saw the pink haired boy in the scarf at the door with Master Makarov, "Natsu?" He grinned and downed the rest of his drink. A few moments later Natsu had come in and was picking a fight with Gray. Oby stood up and walked over, "Hey Natsu?" Natsu didn't even ask how Oby knew his name, "Yeah?!" Oby put a hand on his head, "Calm down and come meet our other Dragon Slayers. Trust me, if you pick a fight with Gray, then Lyon will get involved, and then Ultear, Cana, Ur, Gildarts and me. You might be able to fight Gray to a standstill, but you'd get stomped into the dirt trying to fight all seven of us at once." Natsu sprang away, his hands immediately coming up ready to fight, "Oh yeah? Says who?"

Oby raised an eyebrow, "Says me. Would you care to step outside and go a few rounds?" "Why not fight me right here?" Natsu exclaimed, "Are ya scared?" Before Natsu knew what happened Oby was holding him upside down by the foot at arms length, "Listen Natsu, something important you need to understand if you're going to fit in here. Everyone in the guild is family, and the Guild Hall is our home. It's not a place for fighting. We'll undoubtedly quarrel sometimes, that's what families do, but just blowing off steam like you need to right now? Take it outside. Ya get me?" Natsu crossed his arms and pouted, "Yes."

Oby smiled and set Natsu back on his feet, "Good. Welcome to Fairy Tail, I'm Oby. Now let's step outside and you can get that fight you're itching for." Out they went with over half the guild following them to watch. They set up on the beach, and Oby smiled, "I'll let you take the first shot." "Better make it a good one Pinky!" Gray called from the sidelines, "He's one of the strongest wizards we've got!" Natsu grinned, "Alright then," He inhaled, "Fire Dragon- ROOOAR!" Oby inhaled the flames effortlessly, "Those are some mighty tasty flames ya got there kid." Natsu was utterly dumbfounded, "You're a Fire Dragon Slayer too?!" Oby shook his head and ignited a black flame on the tip of his finger, "No, but you're half right. I'm a _God_ Slayer." He pointed at the lake and a blast of jet black flames half a kilometer long rocketed out across the water. Natsu stared and Oby turned to him smiling, "So, your flames won't work against me. What's your back up?"

Natsu started trembling and Oby seemed to teleport over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder, "There's nothing to be upset about Natsu. You're still just a kid, even if you are the son of a dragon. I've been learning magic since I was four years old, and I'm older than you." Natsu sprang and slugged Oby with a flaming fist, "I am _not_ _scared!"_ Oby's head actually snapped around with the force of the punch, he turned back around and saw Natsu had sprang back and landed ready to fight again. Oby rubbed his jaw with a small grin as the entire guild held its breath, "You've got spunk kid, but barking bigger than you can bite'll getcha hurt."

Oby seemed to teleport and Natsu had about a millisecond to realize that Oby was right in front of him before _BOOM!_ Oby's punch launched him about thirty feet into the air. Natsu fell into the water screaming and dragged himself back out, boiling himself dry with a big grin on his face. Oby grinned, "Kid just doesn't know when to quit. Laxus, Eric, you two are Dragon Slayers, would you two mind teaching him after I test out his tenacity?" Laxus scoffed, "Why should I teach him?!" "And I just became a Dragon Slayer a few months ago!" Erik exclaimed.

"You're both still older than he is, and you're Dragon Slayers just like him," Oby declared as Natsu beat against his barrier, "The kid's new and he's going to need friends. You two are prime candidates." "You're a God Slayer," Laxus pointed out, "And you seem to have taken an interest in him." Oby nodded, "Fair enough, but you guys should still be friends." He made a little swatting motion with his palm and the barrier fell on Natsu like a brick wall, "Fine I'll teach him, but I want you two to help. Imagine if we had a Flying Dragon Squadron, that would be pretty cool don'tcha think?"

Erik thought about it and was all for it, Laxus was still unsure though. Makarov looked up at him as Oby continued to fight Natsu with one hand, "He's got a point Laxus. The boy does need someone to look after him." Laxus frowned, "Why's it gotta be me? Besides isn't the whole guild supposed to be everyone looking out for each other?" Makarov nodded, "Yes, but it's always good to have a mentor. And while Oby is undoubtedly qualified, it would be good experience for you. You know what they say, you never really master something until you have to teach it." Laxus sighed, "Alright fine, I'll teach the kid. Ya hear that Oby? I'll train the kid! Erik too! Might as well have two."

Oby grinned as he effortlessly spun Natsu midair like a pinwheel, "That's great!" He slammed Natsu into the ground and picked him back up, "Ya hear that Natsu? You're going to have an experienced Dragon Slayer teaching you!" "I don't wanna!" Natsu complained. Oby smashed his face into the sand again and picked him back up, "If you don't learn and get stronger, then this'll happen every time and everyone in the guild will be able to pummel you like this. Trust me Natsu, it'll be good for ya. Who knows, you might even be strong enough to beat me one day." That got Natsu's attention and everyone else's immense skepticism. Natsu nodded and agreed though, so Oby counted it as a win.

==Four Months Later==

Master Makarov cleared his throat as the entire guild's attention was riveted to him, "As you all know, it is time to announce this years contestants for the Fairy Tail Guild's S-Class Trials! Normally I would skip right to that, however this year there will be a separate trial for two wizards who have proven themselves strong enough to be S-Class time and time again. This is so that the usual trials can maintain some semblance fairness. Laxus Dreyar and Oberon Williamson will prove their worth by fighting all of Fairy Tail's current S-Class wizards simultaneously on their own! If they are victorious, they will be promoted to S-Class in time to assist in proctoring this years S-Class trial!"

There was a roar of surprise from the guild, that meant that now anyone who could beat all the S-Class wizards simultaneously could become an S-Class wizard! Not only that, but it meant that this year there could be not one, not two, but _three_ new S-Class wizards!

Master Makarov swept his hand to the side for quiet, "The battles between Laxus, Oberon and the S-Class will take place one week from today! We will do battle on Mount Hakabe where we can go all out! Laxus, Oberon! Prepare yourselves to face off against the greatest force Fairy Tail's S-Class can bring to bear!"

==Meanwhile, Edolas==

King Faust looked at the four elderly commanders of his royal army, their four young apprentices and the newly made commander Panther Lily. "You have your orders, now go and crush the wizard guilds who dare to rebel against us! For the sake of Edolas we must curb their overuse of magic! If that means we must curb their lives as well, so be it!" Oberon Bacon's gauntleted fist crashed into his palm with a grin while Erza Knightwalker, Hughes and Sugarboy all grasped their weapons with excitement. Their first real battle and it was to save the kingdom, they couldn't have asked for a greater honor and thrill.

==One Week Later==

Oby howled in pain as he crashed into the antimagic barrier Makarov had quietly erected before the battle to stop Oby's Arc of Time and his time stop shattered. He staggered back as the S-Class wizards, now including Laxus, stared at the horrific burns covering Oby where he had connected with the barrier. Oby's face had been burned half off and his right arm was in similar condition. Oby hissed in pain as his Sky God Slayer magic quickly began repairing his wounds, then Makarov yelled, "GILDARTS NOW!" Oby was still in too much shock and pain to even try to dodge. His eyes widened as Gildarts flashed forward and his fist, loaded with Crash magic, slammed into Oby's jaw.

Oby flew a thousand feet into the sky in less than a minute. As he started to fall he frantically searched his mind for what could possibly have hurt him so badly. _Makarov wouldn't have done it on purpose, he wasn't like Precht!_ _A wizard's magic is tied to their life force, the stronger they are, the greater that bond is…Anti-magic is death to me! Crap I can't let them hit m-_ "AAAAAAAAAAAH!" As Oby fell, he crashed back into the barrier from above and it was like landing on a hot skillet, as soon as he hit it the burning began again. It was all Oby could do to roll off the barrier and tumble the remaining hundred feet to the ground. Weakened by the anti-magic, several bones broke. His opponents stared, "I had never imagined he would have such a strong reaction to anti-magic," Makarov said quietly. "I've never seen anyone that reacted like that to anti-magic," Gildarts replied in a shocked and slightly horrified whisper as Oby desperately dragged himself away from the barrier with one arm, the first time he had run from anything since he was four years old.

The air was dark around Oby as his magic sought to repair the damage. It wasn't going well.

Oby managed to pull himself partially upright on a nearby rock and turned back to face his opponents, even though at this point his leg was still fractured in several places and held together as much by Oby's force of will as its own structural integrity. "You'd better quit Oby," Laxus called, "You can't get to us in here and we can still throw anything we want at you. You don't stand a chance now that we know you can't touch anti-magic!" Oby's face twisted in pain and furious determination, "No way. I promised them, promised I'd never lose. Not to anybody, not even the master of my guild."

Makarov closed his eyes and grimly launched a small bolt of antimagic at Oby. It hit him in the shoulder like a bullet and he roared in pain. The battle would have to go until Oby surrendered. Makarov was no fool; he knew how quickly Oby could recover. If he dropped the anti-magic barrier, Oby would demolish them before they could even blink.

"Oby stop this!" Ur yelled, "Your body can't take much more of a beating!" Oby snarled and forced his magic to speed up the healing, in moments he was almost totally healed, but he was still in considerable pain and the healing had drained him tremendously. The anti-magic hadn't just burned him, it poisoned the wounds. Healing them required ten times as much power as a regular wound. He hauled himself upright and immediately fell to a knee clutching his hammering heart as blood roared in his ears and his vision swam in pain. "I promised, promised we'd never, never lose…" _Idiot,_ a voice echoed in his head, _you can't win alone._ Oby felt Zera's smile as Rusty yelled at him, _You have my magic, USE IT!_

Oby's eyes snapped open as his mental image of Rusty grinned and the others smiled, ready for action. Oby focused through the pain, "We all forgot one thing. I'm _never_ alone." He raised his hand with a smile and a massive amount of magic erupted around it, "I may be a Fairy Tail Wizard, but I'll always have a Grimoire Heart." He slammed his hand into the ground, "ARC OF EMBODIMENT! SEVEN KIN REUNITED!" Light flashed and Oby managed to pick himself up with a new fire in his eyes as his old team appeared around him, "The love and help of our friends is what makes Fairy Tail strong. That's one thing Precht passed on to us as the Seven Kin. On our own we're each in the top one percent of the strongest wizards in the world. Put us all together and we're unstoppable. We'll never lose. That was my promise to them and I'll be damned if I'm going to break it."

Fairy Tail's S-Class stepped back, the numbers had just shifted decidedly against them. Then Oby's projection of Zera stepped forward with one hand raised, "Arc of Time, DISPEL!" Instantly the barrier winked out of existence. Makarov stared in shock and then the Seven Kin of Purgatory charged.

In less than a minute, Oby was sitting on top of Makarov's giant form with Kain holding him in place using his Curse Doll. Azuma and Rusty had Gildarts trapped with their combined magical constructs, Zancrow and Maria had Ur trapped inside a ring of unquenchable flames and Laxus was pinned to the ground with Zera holding a sword to his throat after having eaten all the lightning he could throw at her. Oby grinned at Master Makarov, "Do you surrender?" Makarov sighed and flopped his face in the snow. He had been expecting something like this. He picked his face up, "Yeah. You pass. Now let me up, this is bad for my back."

Oby hopped off and hugged his illusory friends, caught a quick kiss on the cheek from Zera and then they disappeared. As the other S-Class picked themselves up Oby Ice-Made a table and chairs for them to sit on. Oby took the seat between Laxus and Ur as they all sat down. Makarov cleared his throat, "Well, now that we've gotten the formalities out of the way, it's time to start planning. What should we do to them this year? We did a tournament last year and that definitely didn't work out right." Gildarts laughed with some slight embarrassment, the wizards being tested hadn't stood a chance against him, even when they all ganged up on him. "So," Makarov continued, "This year let's do something where they'll have a chance."

"We've already promoted two wizards this year though," Gildarts pointed out, "Do we really want to promote three in one year?" Makarov frowned thoughtfully and then Ur reached over and swatted Gildarts, "Ultear's taking the trial this year with Cana as her partner, and Gray and Lyon are Macao and Wakaba's partners! Don't stack a hopeless deck against our children!" Oby grinned as Gildarts backpedaled, "How about a maze Master? Gildarts and I can carve it into the mountain side and we can have three stages of the maze. Like uh, eight entrances, one for each examinee, four of the paths lead to me, Gildarts, Ur or Laxus, three lead to a big room where they have to fight against each other before the can move ahead, and one is a buy, it just runs straight through. Once everyone's made it through the first elimination round, we send em into the sure enough labyrinth and the first one out moves to the third stage."

Makarov kept thinking, "Hmm…" Then his head snapped up, "Wait a minute, hasn't Ultear been learning your Arc of Time? And I _know_ Cana can tell fortunes with those cards of hers. They'd get through any maze easily!" Oby made a slightly surprised gesture as if to say, "How was I to know that/what do you want from me? She's my girlfriend!" Makarov frowned at him and then sighed, he was after all just looking out for his girlfriend. Makarov waved the idea aside, "Ok, so mazes are out. It would tip the odds far too much in one team's favor."

Laxus frowned, "We could make it a race. If Ultear isn't proficient enough with the Arc of Time to stop time that is." Everyone looked at Oby and he shook his head, "Sorry, she's that good. Takes to magic like a duck to water. She'll be as good with the Arc of Time as I am soon, and she's come up with ways to use it I never would've thought of. Have you ever been smacked in the head with a crystal ice ball flying at the speed of a cannonball? It hurts, and she can load that thing with Crash magic, which makes it even more destructive. My money's on her to win whatever challenge we set. She can see the past and future, so she'll know the answer to any riddle and the route through any maze in minutes at most, and she's got Cana's fortunetelling to verify anything she finds out with Arc of Time. Not to mention they could both tear through just about anything. Those two can be destruction incarnate if they want to be. Macbeth's Distortion is the only thing I can see having a chance against either of them. Macbeth's partnered with Sawyer, so if Sawyer runs interception to keep Ultear and Cana from lining up a direct punch those two could theoretically beat them since Distortion affects Ice and Ultear's crystal balls."

Oby sat back, "Eric and Natsu stand a viable chance because they're better hand to hand fighters and Natsu's fire is a natural counter to Ultear and Cana's Ice Make. Plus they're stubborn. Macao and Gray would get hopelessly stomped. If Wakaba uses his Smoke-body transformation to go intangible he's got a shot, Lyon would be as useless as Gray against Ultear and Cana though. Ultear or Cana winks at 'em and Gray and Lyon are both down for the count. I don't think they could beat the girls anyway, but I know how weak at the knees they go for those two."

Everyone was making various faces as Oby continued with his battle analysis, "Erza and Kagura might be able to fight evenly with Ultear and Cana. Erza's as good as Eric and Kagura's cut from the same cloth with Gravity magic to boot. Sorano and Yukino are good, but their weakness is in physical combat. That's the weakness of Celestial Magic, the user is usually sadly rather fragile. Ultear and Cana know that and Ultear excels at long range combat. Now that I think about it, I am going to have to teach those two something so that they can fight even without their celestial spirits. Maybe I can convince them to train with Erza, she's better than I am with physical combat…"

He trailed off thinking and then Laxus looked at him, "What about Jellal and Simon?" "Erza smiles at them and they're both down for the count. She glares, they run," Oby declared immediately, "If she says she'll go out with the winner, they'll knock each other out fighting over her, and Simon would never hurt his baby sister. They stand a valid chance against anyone else though. As good as Ultear and Cana are, they can't fight in the dark, and that's something Jellal and Simon excel at. Eric and Natsu have the best chance against Jellal and Simon because of their enhanced senses, Sorano and Yukino might have a chance since Celestial Spirits glow even in the darkest of darks, and Macbeth and Sawyer could just use area attacks that don't have to be aimed. Macao's fire would help him out if he could overpower Simon's Darkness magic, Wakaba and Lyon would get pulverized."

"So what you're sayin' is that it could go any of a hundred different ways," Laxus declared. Oby nodded, "Yep. I'm still betting on Ultear and Cana though. Three of the seven opposing teams would be almost embarrassingly easy wins for them. No offense to Gray and Lyon, but they are both major liabilities against those two, and Sorano and Yukino just simply aren't fast enough to deal with them. That's the best odds any of the teams have. Of course, I'm not using my Arc of Time to look. That would totally spoil all the surprises."

The others nodded and continued batting ideas around. A little over an hour later, they had come up with a plan.

==One Week Later==

Teams Ultear, Erza, Jellal, Eric, Sorano, Macbeth, Macao and Wakaba arrived at the end of the road up Mount Hakabe. "That wasn't there before was it?" Macao asked Wakaba as he pointed to a small lone tower across the gorge. Across the way Oby grinned and sang, "They're heeere!" Ur stepped forward, "Ice Make Bridge!" A massive and ornate bridge of ice suddenly rocketed across the gorge and slammed into the ground in front of the examinees, as clear as an invitation could get.

The examinees hurried across and found Master Makarov waiting for them at the foot of the tower in his formal coat. As the last of them stepped off the bridge, Master Makarov waved his hand and the magic hiding the rest of the massive castle the S-Class had built with the help of Oby's Arc of Time dissipated, revealing the true scope of the enormous fortress before them as up on top of one of the towers Oby dispelled the howling wind around the mountains, leaving the entire area in a state of deathly quiet.

The examinees felt the hair on the backs of their necks standing on end at the sudden silence and the frightening glint of sadistic excitement in their master's eyes. "Welcome," Makarov declared, "Behold your trial. Within this fortress are five towers. You must ascend to the top of the central tower. Whoever makes it first, if anyone does, will be declared the winner. At the top of each of the four towers is one of our S-Class wizards. To ascend to the top of the fifth tower, you must obtain a key from each of them. Taking someone else's key will not work as each key is numbered and all the keys must match to let you through. Only two teams may enter a tower at any time. Those who fail will be ejected and wait out the trial in a sealed room in the central keep. If you try to tell each other what awaits in the towers, you will fail. You will face many obstacles and trials on your way to the top. I wish you all the best of luck," he grinned wickedly, "You're going to need it."

Then the projection disappeared and the massive gate in the side of the tower rumbled open. The examinees rushed in as the wind picked back up and the sixteen wizards found themselves in a massive courtyard. The central keep was round and set into the mountainside. The four towers were situated in the corners of the massive walls. They looked around and saw that each of the four towers had a sign over the door.

"Honor, Courage, Wisdom, Loyalty," Erza read aloud. "The four things necessary to be a successful S-Class wizard," Macao clarified. "But why is there a tower for each of them?" Wakaba asked. "Maybe it's some kind of clue as to who's at the top?" Macbeth pondered. "I'll go check it out," Sawyer declared as he disappeared in a blur before Macbeth could stop him. A second later he bounced off a barrier in the door of the nearest tower which happened to be Courage as he tried to come back out to go check the other towers. A single line flickered into existence over the sign, slanting downward to the right. Sawyer staggered back clutching his now not quite as pointy as it was nose, "OW! What the heck?" Macbeth nodded, "It appears we cannot leave once we are in until we finish the trial. Sawyer and I will try Courage first."

Everyone watched him go feeling slightly sorry for him, courage was the one thing Macbeth was short on. Ultear closed her eyes for a few moments and then smiled, "Cana and I will take Wisdom." They made their way over to the wisdom tower and as they entered a line like the one over the door to Courage flickered on over the door to Wisdom. Kagura tugged on Erza's sleeve, "Maybe we should do Courage first too? You're braver than anybody I know." Erza smiled at the compliment and agreed. They followed Macbeth and Sawyer and as they passed through the door another line appeared over the door way forming an X with the first one as the door rumbled closed.

Natsu smacked a fist into his palm, "Eric! You smell that?" Eric sniffed and grinned, "Yeah! Let's go!" They took off and charged into Honor, the first line appearing over the door behind them. Macao and Wakaba exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Loyalty." They took off, Gray and Lyon right behind them. They rushed through the door neck and neck and the door rumbled shut behind them. That left Sorano, Yukino, Jellal and Simon alone in the courtyard.

Jellal looked at Simon, "Knowledge _is_ power. Wisdom?" Simon nodded, "Let's go." They took off and Sorano swapped a glance with Yukino, "I guess that leaves us with Honor."

==Courage==

Erza and Kagura quickly caught up to Macbeth and Sawyer. They were at the top of the tower standing in front of a door that led into the massive column in the center. Before they could say anything, the door opened and a terrible, leering, brightly colored face erupted out at them yelling, "OOGABOOGABOOGABOOGA!" Kagura jumped and a small "Eep!" escaped her as she hid behind Erza who stepped into a ready stance and reached for her sword. Sawyer and Macbeth jumped back as well, right off the stairwell. They howled in terror as they fell until they suddenly disappeared in a flash of light a few feet from the ground.

Gildarts pushed his mask up off his face with a grin, "Well that's two down!" He laughed and opened the door a little bit wider, "Come on in girls, that was just the preliminary! The real test is in here!" They stepped into a small room on the other side of the door. Gildarts closed the door behind them and his grin disappeared as he gestured to another door to a smaller room within the room, "Behind this door you will face your worst nightmare. You must overcome that nightmare within one hour. Once you do, you will have passed and the other door will open. If you are too afraid, you may turn back, the door will be right behind you at all times. All you have to do is turn around and walk out. If you do though, or if you run out of time, you will fail."

A bead of sweat rolled down the back of Erza's neck but she steeled her nerves, "Kagura, you ready?" Kagura nodded tentatively and gripped the blade her brother had given her. Gildarts nodded gravely, "If you're sure, then you may enter." Erza boldly stepped forward, pulled open the door and stepped through, Kagura close behind her. As the door closed, the nightmare began and the destruction of Rosemary Village roared to life around them.

==Honor==

Eric and Natsu backed away from the chalice that had appeared before them, earning Sorano and Yukino's immediate attention. "What is it?" Sorano asked. "That's liquid anti-magic…" Eric said in horror, "Even my Poison Dragon Slayer Magic won't protect me from that! Any wizard that drinks that is toast!" That wasn't what was scaring him though, what scared him was the plaque on the pedestal, "The door will open only when the chalice is empty." Sorano sighed and casually knocked it over. Her eyes widened as the ominous black liquid refused to spill out. It only confirmed there growing suspicion and Yukino whispered in horror, "One of us has to drink it…"

==Loyalty==

Two staircases wound up the inside of the tower, clearly meant for racing. The issue was the numerous traps and obstacles which from the look of it could be triggered from the sides opposite them. Macao and Wakaba stared upwards at the trap laden climbs ahead of them, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

==Wisdom==

Jellal and Simon burst into the room at the top of the tower and blinked as they found themselves in an immense garden. They looked back at the door and the interior of the cold stone tower outside, and then back at the sprawling sunny meadow before them. Ultear and Cana were sitting at a nearby pavilion on a lake cheerfully enjoying some snacks that were set out for them. Ultear and Cana waved them over. Jellal and Simon swapped confused looks and then went to join them. They sat and chatted amiably for what felt like hours and then footsteps sounded on the boardwalk out to the pavilion.

They whipped around and saw Oby striding toward them. He stopped at the entrance to the pavilion and smiled, "Do you like my garden?" "It's beautiful," Ultear replied sincerely. Oby's heart warmed even though it was a sad smile he wore, "It's a shame our battle will destroy it. I will wait for you on that rock," he pointed to a large rock on a hill across the lake from the door. "Come when you are ready. If you want your keys, you must impress me. You may leave, but in doing so you will forfeit the trials. If you choose to fight me, then be warned, I will not kill you and I will try not to do any permanent damage, but that will be the extent of my restraint. Ultear, I love you, and I beg you not to hold the brutal pummeling you will get if we fight against me."

He disappeared and reappeared atop the rock grimly facing away from them, patiently waiting. Simon and Jellal swapped a horrified glance and Ultear and Cana looked worried. None of them had been expecting the "Wisdom" tower to contain a fight with the most powerful wizard in the guild, and with Oby begging forgiveness in advance, they knew there was no way in hell he'd hold back.


	9. Chapter 9: Honor Wisdom Courage Loyalty

Chapter 9 – Honor, Courage, Wisdom and Loyalty

==Ten Minutes Later==

Oby disappeared as Jellal's Heavenly Body Magic infused punch blasted through the space where he'd been sitting at the speed of a bullet. Before Jellal knew Oby had moved, Oby smashed his face into the rock. Jellal's nose broke, as did his cheek, jaw and several teeth. Jellal's entire face was instantly a mass of blood and bruises. Before anyone could move or even cry out in shock, Oby had torn Jellal's shoulders from their sockets, broken every one of Jellal's ribs and turned his entire torso into one giant bruise with a hurricane of rapid fire punches, and thrown him into the lake. As Ultear's crystal ball flashed toward Oby's head, his hand flickered up and caught it. He crushed the stronger than steel orb into dust with one hand and at the same time Ultear and Cana were flattened by an amount of gravity comparable to a mountain falling on them. Oby watched passively as Simon dove into the lake to save Jellal from drowning.

Oby stood before them, his expression murderous, "Yield." Ultear gasped for air as the gravity lifted, she had never seen Oby be so, so, _brutal_. Was this what he was really like? Oby conjured a sphere of light blue energy into his hand, "This is a ball of pure pain, the worst agony and torment you've ever felt. Surrender _now_ , or I'll use it." Ultear's eyes widened and she was too stunned to speak, how could he be so cold?! People _died_ from beatings like the one he'd just given Jellal and even if Jellal lived his face would probably be permanently wrecked! Cana picked herself up and let the recriminations fly.

Oby's eyes were as cold as ice as he flicked the ball of what he had called the worst torment imaginable at her. It turned into a pale blue lightning bolt and slammed into Cana too fast to even see, let alone dodge. Cana screamed and then collapsed, her sides heaving in agony as she struggled to hold onto her consciousness. Ultear yelled, "What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill us?!" Oby conjured another ball of pain, " _Yield_ Ultear, or this will only get worse. You can't make S-Class if you get beaten half to death fighting me."

Ultear was on the verge of hyperventilating as Simon covered the area in darkness to get Jellal to safety. Then Oby waved his hand and the darkness was gone in an instant, revealing Simon dragging Jellal out of the lake. As soon as they were out of the lake, Oby launched his ball of pain at Simon before conjuring another one even as Simon collapsed roaring in pain. Oby looked down at Ultear, "Are you afraid Ultear?" "Yes," she said quietly as she looked at the horrifically cold visage of the boy she loved. "Then yield," Oby told her. "But," Ultear didn't get to finish her protest as the pain erupted through her, every bit as bad as Oby had promised and more. She screamed and blacked out.

==Meanwhile==

Macao flattened himself against the staircase as Wakaba fired a giant crossbow at him, "What the hell man?!" Wakaba just laughed as he raced on up the stairs. Macao growled, "Gray! Put 'em on ice!" Gray grinned, "With pleasure! Ice Make Floor!" Suddenly the stairs beneath Wakaba and Lyon turned to ice and sent them both sliding all the way back to the bottom. Macao laughed, "Come on Gray! Let's go win this thing!"

==Meanwhile==

Sorano took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. She extracted her Celestial Spirit Keys and knelt in front of Yukino, "Yukino, hold these for me." Yukino took them in confusion, and then her expression turned to terror as Sorano rose and turned to Eric, "You had better take care of her." Eric's eyes widened in horror as Sorano turned and reached for the chalice. Before she could lift it Eric leapt forward and snatched the poisonous draught away, draining it before anyone could protest. "ERIC!" "BIG BRO!" Eric staggered, the poison burned his mouth and throat like fire, it was like drinking fire. Eric coughed as his body told him to retch and vomit the vile stuff out.

==Five Minutes Later==

Erza lowered her sword as the last of the illusory attackers fell. Not far away Kagura did the same. They were both shaking, but standing. The door out appeared and Gildarts poked his head in as the illusion disappeared, "Wow. You two made quite a mess in here! Color me impressed!"

Erza and Kagura walked out and Gildarts handed Erza a key with her name on it, "Good job in there girls, I know that was a hard thing to face. I'm very proud of you both for standing your ground in there." Erza nodded with a smile, "Thank you Gildarts." Gildarts grinned, "Don't thank me yet! This is only your first test, you've still got three more to go! And that's before you even make it into the keep! This is all just the preliminaries!" Erza and Kagura were both wide eyed and slack-jawed at the revelation as Gildarts laughed and shooed them away. They passed a very exhausted looking Ultear and Cana on their way out. Ultear and Cana waved tiredly and Erza paused, "You guys look exhausted, how many towers have you completed?"

"Just one," Cana replied quietly. Erza and Kagura stared, "Which one?!" "Wisdom," Ultear replied, "I knew he was strong, but that was, terrifying." Erza grinned, "Well Kagura and I just got courage in spades, so maybe we should go try this scary Wisdom tower next!" Ultear laughed slightly, "You go have fun with that…"

If Erza had been a little bit calmer and not riding on the swell of her victory in overcoming her greatest fear, she might've heard the warning in Ultear's voice.

==Fifteen Minutes Later==

Erza pushed open the door at the top of the Wisdom Tower and stepped into the garden, marveling at how such a tremendous space could be in the top of a tower. Oby was sitting across the lake on top of a large rock. He was facing away from them as they stepped inside. Erza and Kagura waited for a few moments to see if he would do anything, then Erza called, "Oby!" Oby stood and then turned to face them from atop the rock, "Kagura, step outside. You will not be needed for this test."

Erza and Kagura blinked, "Huh?" Oby jumped down onto the lake and walked across the surface, his footfalls barely making ripples as he strode closer, "Normally this is a three part test of wisdom undertaken by two competitors. As Erza will be the only taking my test this round, the test will be different. If you had one of your competitors here, you would be tested to see if you understood the wisdom and value of teamwork. If you were anyone else Erza, you would be tested on your ability to read people, specifically picking up on the fact that I usually abhor fighting, especially my friends. However…"

He grinned and a vicious glint entered his eyes, "You Erza, are the daughter of my first master, the twin of my beloved rival, and my student. I can think of no one in this world whose power I would rather test. There is still one piece of wisdom you must have to pass this test, and we will see if you have it by going all out. That is why Kagura must step outside. We are about to have a battle that will shake the earth, if she stays in here she will get hurt." Erza nodded as her adrenaline started pumping, Kagura hugged her quickly, "Be careful sis," and stepped outside.

As soon as she stepped outside, Erza drew her sword. Oby pulled a matching one from thin air, his grin growing ever wider, "Now show me Erza, how strong you are!" He flashed forward and Erza narrowly blocked his opening strike. The collision of their blades sent up a shower of sparks and in an instant Oby had sprung back and turned the sparks into a roaring black inferno. Erza requipped into her Flame Empress armor, quickly throwing up an anti-fire shield, and was shocked to find that the flames were still strong enough to leave her skin red and stinging even through her shield and armor as she sprang back and away.

As she landed Oby was on her again, this time forgoing his magic as the sparks flew and engaging her in the fiercest swordplay she had ever partaken in. It was a tremendous testament to the strength of their blades that they weren't shorn clean through by the tremendous force behind their blows. Erza finally managed to disengage and buy herself just enough time to requip into one of her newest sets of armor. She quickly summoned a circle of blades and slashed at Oby, "HEAVEN'S WHEEL!" Oby deflected one of the blades and was through the whirling ring of death in an instant, rushing right at her and forcing her to block again. Then Oby pulled a second sword from thin air and blocked her left swing. Erza was too busy to even command the extra swords that made her Heaven's Wheel Armor so effective as she desperately worked to hold Oby at bay.

Then she suddenly became aware of a glowing white nimbus appearing around one of Oby's blades as he brought it in for another swing, _Crash Magic!_ Erza sprang back and Oby swiped through the space she had been in even as his second blade began to glow with Crash Magic as well. Oby slashed his sword through the air in front of him into a ready position and unleashed a wave of Crash Magic that Erza dodged with ease _Why is it moving so slow?_

"Very impressive Erza!" Oby called as he dismissed his blades, "You kept up with me even when I had slowed you down to a tenth of your usual speed!" Erza's eyes widened and then Oby grinned, "So now it's time to see how you do against _my_ fighting style!" Erza immediately changed to her Lightning Empress armor, pulled her Adamantine Shield and drew her Sea Empress sword. The change came just in time as Oby's Storm God Howl slammed into her shield and hurled her nearly three miles, out past the garden and into the rocky wasteland beyond. A lesser wizard would've had every bone in their body shattered, but Erza's magic and armor protected her from the worst of it.

Even as she landed a massive boulder on the end of a magic chain was slamming into her shield. She blocked it and was only knocked a few feet back as she requipped into her full Adamantine armor. Then she was struck by a black lightning bolt and sent to her knees. She requipped to Lightning Empress and the electricity ravaging her system dispersed. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief she was blown back by a massive torrent of black water. She slammed into a rock outcropping and held there by the pressure of the raging water until she requipped into Sea Empress a moment later and managed to swing her sword, the blade allowing her to use her magic to part the water. She searched for Oby, he had to be there somewhere to have been keeping up that water burst, then a shadow fell over her. She looked up and her eyes were the size of dinner plates, "Oh you have got to be kidding me! Flight armor!"

Millions of tons of rock crashed down on the spot where she had been an instant earlier. Erza paused for just an instant to stare and Oby spoke from where he was floating in midair, "Very impressive Erza! You're doing very well! In terms of strength you are certainly worthy of promotion, however you still haven't proven yourself to have the wisdom needed. Of course that could be my fault, I haven't been going all out like I promised." Erza's eyes widened, _He's bluffing, he's GOT to be bluffing!_

==Meanwhile==

Ur smiled as Eric, Sorano, Natsu and Yukino stood before her at the top of the Loyalty Tower, "Congratulations, you passed with flying colors." Eric and Sorano blinked in surprise, the climb up had been so easy that they had been expecting another test, "Just like that?" Sorano asked in surprise as she accepted her key. Ur nodded, "Just like that." "So, the test was just to climb up here?!" Natsu asked. Ur smiled at him, "No the test was to climb up here without giving into the urge to sabotage the other competitor in what looked like a race." Sorano smiled, "It wasn't really that tempting, Eric just risked his life to keep me from doing the same for him. I'd have to be a pretty horrible person to sabotage him after that." Eric nodded, "And it would be kind of stupid to go shooting giant crossbows at her after I just went to all that trouble. That and she did try to beat me to it. It was so sweet that I'd probably ask her out if I wasn't already in love with Kinana. Hey Natsu, you should get together with Yukino since me and Sorano won't." Ur smiled as Eric and Sorano laughed at the looks on Natsu and Yukino's faces, "Maybe next year we should make sure our contestants go in a certain order to make them more challenging."

==Meanwhile==

There was a flash of lightning as Laxus appeared in front of Jellal as Simon suddenly stopped writhing in pain and sat up looking puzzled. "Jellal," Laxus said in a deadly quiet voice that seethed with outrage as little sparks of electricity flickered around him. It was at this exact moment Jellal knew, he f***ed up.

"YOU FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIL!" Laxus roared, "YOU JUST ALLOWED YOUR BEST FRIEND TO DRINK WHAT FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES WAS DEADLY POISON! FOR WHAT?! A PROMOTION?! A LITTLE BIT OF PRESTIGE?! I'M EMBARRASSED, INSULTED, AND TEMPTED TO HAVE YOU BARRED FROM EVER ATTEMPTING THESE TRIALS AGAIN! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH AGAINST THE MORALS AND CODE OF FAIRY TAIL THAT IS?! AND DON'T EVEN TRY TO CLAIM YOU KNEW IT WASN'T REAL, I CAN HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS LOUD AND CLEAR! ERZA WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOU AND YOU CAN REST ASSURED SHE WOULD NEVER LOOK AT YOU THE SAME AGAIN IF SHE EVER FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS LITTLE STUNT YOU JUST PULLED!"

If Jellal had shrunken in fear when Laxus started shouting, he absolutely dwindled away to nothing when Laxus mentioned the possibility of Erza finding out. Laxus snapped his fingers and the world shifted around them. Jellal and Simon found themselves sitting in an uncomfortable and unfurnished stone room. Wakaba and Macao looked up as they appeared and Gray and Lyon paused their quarreling for a moment. "So which tower did you fail?" Macbeth asked in a slightly dead tone. Jellal was still too horrified by what he had let happen to answer so Simon replied, "Honor. There was this cup of poison, and one of us had to drink it. Apparently Jellal was supposed to take the fall for me, but he let me drink it. Probably because he knows I like Erza too," he added in a slightly bitter tone.

Jellal turned ghostly pale as his best friend casually pointed out the reason he had been willing to throw him under the train and everyone stared. "Whoa," Sawyer said from where he was braiding Macbeth's hair, "Dude, that's cold." "Seriously," Wakaba added, "We only failed because we couldn't contain our competitive spirit against each other and got carried away! You let your best friend drink poison so you could have a shot at a girl who might not like either of you?" "And even if she liked you before," Macao added, "You know how much Erza cares about her friends. Do you really think she would go out with a guy who would throw his best friend under the train over her? My wife would leave me in a heartbeat if I did that to Wakaba, and she's not nearly as passionate about protecting her friends as Erza is."

Lyon laid a hand on Gray's shoulder, "We would definitely pass that test." Gray nodded, "We'd probably knock ourselves out fighting to keep the other from drinking it." Macbeth looked over her shoulder at Sawyer, "I hope you know I would never let you die for my sake Sawyer." Sawyer grinned, "You'd have to beat my hand to that cup. You're nuts if you think I'd let you drink it."

Jellal felt like less than an inch high of pure scum. He turned to Simon and immediately started bowing and begging forgiveness, "I'm so sorry! I'm a terrible person and an even worse friend! I can't believe I did that! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I've never been so ashamed of myself in my life! You can have Erza! I'll back off completely! I don't deserve her! I'm so sorry!" He kept bowing and begging for a very long time even though Simon assured him he was forgiven. Laxus smiled up at the top of the Honor Tower as he waited for the next contenders, "Well at least he learned his lesson."

==Meanwhile==

Oby appeared directly in front of Erza and drove a fist into her gut hard enough to launch her a mile straight up. Even as Erza requipped into her Blackwing armor (Oby and Zera had helped her get it tailored to fit), Oby appeared above her, "HOLY SHADOW DEMON RAGE!" Erza was slammed into the ground every bit as fast as she had been flung into the air. She screamed in pain and then, just as the mad mix of light and dark dissipated, Erza felt a grappling claw wrap around her leg. Oby heaved the magic chain and spun, slamming Erza into and sometimes _through_ every rock face in the area.

By the time he released her Erza was covered in blood and bruises. Oby raised a hand as he saw her trying to stand, "Arc of Embodiment, Tower of Dingir!" The massive tower erupted and Oby's hand snapped out and caught Erza's sword as she came flashing in from his right, having requipped into her Flight Armor and dodged even as the deadly tower erupted beneath her. Oby twisted first one of her swords from her grip, then the other, tossed them away in an instant and then blasted her away with a horizontal blast of gravity magic. Erza slammed into a rock face and fell forward.

Oby caught her before she could hit the ground, easily holding both her hands behind her back with one of his while the other rested on the back of her head. It was a position in which he held absolute power over the situation. _He could torch me in an instant_ , Erza thought in horror, _And at this kind of range there's no way in hell he'd miss! I could knee him in the nuts, but as strong as he is that might just make him angry! Does he even_ _ **feel**_ _pain?!_ Oby looked into her eyes, "Yield Erza."

 _NO! NONONONO!_ Erza thought desperately, _I can't lose! Not like this! If I fail I'll let Kagura and Milliana down! They have so much faith in me! I can't let them down! There has to be a way!_ Then it hit her. Her first impulse was to dismiss the treacherous thought, but then, _It's my only chance!_ Oby noticed the look in her eye, "What are you…" Then she kissed him. Oby's grip went slack in surprise and Erza was able to break free and spring away.

Oby looked like the world had been dropped on him. Erza blushed crimson with embarrassment as he stared at her, "Now, now don't go getting any ideas! That wasn't because I like you or anything, it was just so I could get out of that hold! You have a girlfriend and she's my friend and we are never ever _ever_ going to speak of this again! Now let's, let's just _get on with it_! We'll forget it ever happened! Um, Oby?" Oby blinked and snapped out of it. He covered his eyes laughing, "You sound so much like Zera right now! The only difference is she never had the nerve to kiss me to break out of a hold!"

Erza blushed even more furiously, "Sh-shut up! I, I didn't mean anything by it! It was just a tactical ploy! Can we just, finish the fight already?!" Oby just laughed even harder and Erza started to get angry, "ARMADURA FAIRY!" Oby stopped laughing and a vicious light entered his eye, "STORM KING!" Even as Erza's pink armor erupted into being around her, Oby was shrouded in a wicked looking charcoal gray and black armor. Erza stepped back in shock as Oby straightened up, "What, what is that?!"

Oby smiled triumphantly as the sky darkened and thunder rumbled overhead, "Every member of the Seven Kin has a uniform set of armor called Purgatory Armor. Yes, I mean the same Purgatory Armor Zera gave you for your birthday. In doing so she made you an honorary member of Grimoire Heart and the Seven Kin. However there is one other thing we all have in common, and that is an upgraded and personalized version of our Purgatory Armor. Zera has what she calls Witch Queen armor, it magnifies all her magic tenfold and lets her fly among other things. Azuma has his Land's Wrath, Zancrow's got his Hellfire, and I don't know if Kain's made his yet, the way his magic works I'm not really sure he needs armor. Rusty has his Poet's Regalia and Maria has her Fallen Angel. This is my armor, the Storm King. While I'm wearing this armor, my Storm God Slayer magic is amplified enough for me to summon cataclysmic hurricanes at will. Even bringing this armor out calls forth a thunder storm and puts me in my element, as you can see," he added as the first drops of rain hit the ground. "You could say it's my equivalent of your Armadura Fairy armor," he explained, "And now that I'm wearing it, your chances of beating me have really and truly hit zero." Erza's heart hammered, _He's really serious…_ Oby smiled, "So I'll give you one more opportunity Erza. Yield before I end this fight in a very painful fashion."

Erza's instincts warred within her, and then as the purpose of the test finally hit her, she reached a snap decision. She raised her sword, "I have figured out the point of this test! You want me to yield, to admit that no matter how powerful I become there will always be someone stronger!" Oby blinked in surprise and then nodded. Erza's magic power suddenly erupted around her in a tremendous glowing red nimbus that blazed twenty feet around her and fifty feet high, "But upon my honor I will never surrender while my friends are counting on me! Kagura and Milliana have placed their faith in me to win these trials and I refuse to let them down! If this were a situation where their lives were on the line I would fight Zeref himself to my last breath! How can I grow strong enough to protect those I care about if I back down from every fight I'm hopelessly outclassed in?! I don't care if you are the strongest wizard I've ever met! I don't care if you're the strongest wizard in the world! As long as there's a breath left in my body you will not keep me down!"

Oby smiled in the edge of her glowing nimbus of power, _What an amazing spirit, no wonder I saw what I did just then._ He raised his head, "Very well, let me show you the level of power you seek to overcome!" Erza's eyes widened slightly and then Oby sprang back, all the way to the nearest mountaintop as he called, "This Erza, is my strength!" An instant later the entire world was awash in blue. Erza went slack jawed at the tremendous magic before her as it blazed just beyond the edge of her own nimbus of power, _This is his real power level?!_

Then the tremendous aura of power was gone and Oby was back where he had been a moment earlier, a key in his hand. Erza blinked in surprise and let her magic aura fade as Oby smiled gently at her, "Congratulations Erza. You pass on the strength of your spirit. Anyone else I would beat until they surrendered, but I can see it in your eyes, your wounds would kill you before we reached that point." He smiled as Erza accepted the key in shock, "Now go beat the other two towers. Keep that Fairy Tail spirit strong and you'll pass those two no problem. This still might not be your year, but I'll be deeply shocked if you get knocked out in this first round."

The world shifted around them and they were back at the door, "See you later Erza," Oby declared as he headed back to his rock. As he heard Erza close the door, he looked up at the sky with a thoughtful smile on his face, "Fairy Queen huh?"

 _ **AN:**_ _Yes Sawyer and Macbeth are a thing. Not sure they're to "romance" yet, but they are definitely closer to each other than any of the other canon Oracion Seis are to the others. Eric and Sorano will be very close friends now, but they won't be an item because as Eric pointed out, he's already in love with Kinana. As for Natsu and Yukino, well we'll just have to wait and see. Yukino's a few years older than she would be in canon because she is stated in canon to remember her sister who protected her from her parents' constant scolding, but she would've been at most 3 years old when Sorano was taken, which seems quite young to me to be getting scolded so often that she would need her big sister to stick up for her to a degree that it would be the thing she remembered most about Sorano. So Yukino's 4 years older than she is in canon, meaning she is currently 8. Natsu is 10. In fact, ya know what? Here's a list of confirmed current ages for everyone under the age of 17 as of year 777 in_ _ **Fairy Tail: Oberon**_ _, underlined ones are made up or altered:_

 _Laxus & Warren: 16_

 _Oberon & Ultear_ _: 15_

 _Bickslow,_ _Sorano, Eric, Macbeth, Sawyer and Richard_ _: 14_

 _Freed, Evergreen, Nab, Kinana, Hibiki Lates and Ren Akatsuki: 13_

 _Erza_ _& Zera_ _, Mirajane,_ _Gajeel_ _, Jellal, Lyon,_ _Simon, Azuma, Rustyrose_ _: 12_

 _Gray, Cana, Elfman, Laki, Jet and Droy, Alzack and Bisca, Jenny Realight, Toby Horhorta and Yuuka Suzuki,_ _Zancrow, Maria di Angelo, and Elena Lockser_ _: 11_

 _Natsu_ _,_ _Juvia Lockser, Lisanna, Levy McGarden, Sherry Blendy,_ _Max Alors, Lucy Heartfilia, Risley Law and_ _Kain Hikaru_ _: 10_

 _Vijeeter Ecor, Eve Tearm, Orga Nanagear, Kagura Mikazuchi, and Millianna: 9_

 _Araña Webb,_ _and Yukino_ _: 8_

 _Wendy: 7_

 _Rufus Lore and Minerva: 6_

 _Sting and Rogue: 5_

 _Shellia: 2_


	10. Chapter 10: The Keep

Chapter 10 – The Keep

==About an Hour Later==

Teams Erza, Ultear, Sorano and Eric convened in the courtyard. "So, only four left," Eric grinned. Before anyone could say anything else their keys glowed and the stone wall of the central keep opened. The contestants traded glances and went in. The wall sealed back closed behind them and they found Master Makarov waiting for them.

Makarov grinned, "Very good work all of you. You have passed the first round. Now you will move on to the second round, you must ascend to the top of the keep. There are three floors and you will face two S-Class opponents on each floor, as well as whatever candidates failed that particular wizard's tower. There are three routes which will determine the order in which you face your opponents, and you will not know which is which. You will be fighting as a team, I recommend taking the time before the stairs descend to consider your strategy as you will need every ace up your sleeves you can get to face the entire S-Class in combat back to back to back. If you are knocked out or rendered otherwise incapable of continuing, you will be out of the running."

The contestants were very pale as Makarov's projection vanished.

A few minutes later the stairs descended and the four teams advanced up the center one. When they topped the stairs they found themselves in front of a huge door as the stairway behind them sealed itself. The doors opened slowly and all eight challengers got a sinking feeling as they saw Oby's garden on the other side of the doors.

They swapped nervous looks and advanced in. There was really nowhere else to go. Oby waved at them from the lake pavilion, "Oh good you all passed the first round!" They stared at him, trying to decide if this was some ploy or whether he was seriously just sitting there munching a sandwich. After a moment Oby looked up at them, "You know you _can_ come and talk to me. The more you butter me up the better your odds of getting past me are."

The challengers all swapped glances and then headed down to the floating pavilion. They were quickly seated and enjoying the food Oby had prepared. Ultear found herself eyeing Virgo suspiciously until Oby caught her gaze, "Ultear, don't worry about Virgo. At least not over that. She's here to be the second of your S-Class opponents."

"Wait," Sorano asked in surprise from down the table, "Celestial Spirits are S-Class?" Oby smiled, "When they're summoned by an S-Class wizard they are. Anyway Ultear, you need not fret about Virgo endangering our relationship. She's immortal, I'm not. The most we can ever be is friends with benefits, and as great as you are Virgo, I'm sorry but you're not better than Ultear." Virgo smiled brightly, "I know." Then she eyed the young couple slyly, "Both of us together might be though."

Oby and Ultear blushed as everyone else stared. "Moving on," Virgo declared cheerfully, "How did the first round go? I hear Gildarts had a really scary test cooked up." Eric, Sorano and Ultear paled slightly at the memory of it, but Erza just waved her hand, "Nah, it wasn't so bad! I just did what I would've done then if I could have. It was scary then, but I'll never let it happen again, so there's nothing to be afraid of."

The other three let out little choking breaths and looked at her like she was slightly unhinged. Oby chuckled, "Don't look so surprised, Erza's the only one that passed my test on sheer strength of will. I went at it harder with her than I did with any of the rest of you and she still refused to back down. Erza's got courage in spades."

Everyone but Erza gaped at him and then turned to gape at Erza as they thought they felt the distinct sensation of their chances at winning go down the drain if they had to fight Erza. "Not that she was anywhere close to winning," Oby added as he munched a donut, "She was just too damn stubborn to quit. She figured out the point of the exam, stared me down and said she'd never let her friends down and I'd never keep her down. I could tell she wasn't bluffing and I'd have to kill her to make her back down, so I passed her. I'm not surprised she passed Gildarts' test with flying colors."

He swallowed, "I won't ask what the rest of you saw, I already have a pretty good idea since I'm the one who enchanted that room. Eric, Kinana would be flattered and probably hugging and kissing you. Sorano, it'll never happen again, we won't let it, and that's a promise." Sorano blushed slightly and nodded. Oby turned to Ultear, reached over and pulled her into a hug, "And I'm so proud of you." Ultear was stunned and then she smiled and hugged him back.

They split apart after a little while and there was a contented quiet for a few minutes, then Natsu spoke up, "So all of us passed, that means Macao, Wakaba, Macbeth and Jellal failed?" Oby nodded, "Yep, they'll be waiting for you on the upper floors. Macao and Wakaba failed Ur's tower when they let their competitive streak get the better of them. Having Gray and Lyon egging them on didn't help. Macbeth failed Gildarts' tower-" "Gildarts scared him and Sawyer into jumping off the stairs backwards!" Kagura interjected with a smile.

"And Jellal failed Laxus' tower pretty epically," Oby finished. There was a round of thoughtful faces and then Eric and Sorano swapped a glance, "Wasn't that the one with the poison?" Oby nodded, "That's the one." The others all stiffened as they realized what that meant. "Who was with him?" Erza asked icily. "It was just him and Simon," Oby declared, "I don't think I've ever seen Laxus that mad. Jellal seems to have learned his lesson, but I have a feeling you're going to kick his ass anyway. Am I right?" Erza had a lethal look in her eye, "Ohhh yeah."

Oby smiled, "Yeah, we kinda goofed on making the tests this year. If we had thought about it, you would've each had to take these tests in a certain order and that one would've come after Ur's. I understand Eric and Sorano had a very easy time with that one as a result of doing Laxus's test first, and Erza and Ultear probably didn't get to see the point of that trial at all because of how many people had been eliminated by the time they got there. It kind of overlapped with my test and Laxus' though, so I guess it's alright."

He sighed and stood, "Anyway, speaking of tests, we should probably get on with it. I'm in a good humor right now, so I won't use any of my Lost Magic. In fact, I'm going to fight you with your own magics, barring Eric and Natsu's of course since Dragon Slayer magic falls under Lost Magic, and I won't use my Arc of Time even though Ultear has it too. I pounded on all of you enough earlier. Virgo and I'll be waiting on the rock, come and get us when you're ready." He teleported to the rock with Virgo and it was game on.

Eric and Natsu immediately sprang to the edge of the pavilion and cut loose with a double Dragon Roar. Oby blocked it with an Ice Make Shield that was canceled out by the combined blast. Before Oby could do anything else, Ultear stopped time, froze and ran across the lake, ducked around the collision of the Dragon Roars and Oby's ice, and clocked him with Crash Magic.

Oby went flying and spinning through the air with enough force that he would've broken at least one tree even if he hadn't coated himself in Crash Magic to soften his landing. Before he could get back up, Ultear was on top of him again, and they were far enough away from the others that they couldn't be seen. Ultear leaned down and kissed Oby gently, before giving him a mild glare, "You scared the hell out of me earlier."

Oby snapped his fingers and a blast of Crash magic flew away from them, projections of them racing after it and fighting furiously, "Just to keep up appearances," he clarified. He reached up and pulled Ultear down to him, hugging her gently, "I know, and I'm so sorry. You have to know that I was dying inside that whole time right?" Ultear nodded slightly, "But still, if you know what I saw in Gildarts' test…" Oby nodded, "I know, and I'm so sorry I had to show you that awful mask."

Ultear sat up slightly and looked him in the eye, "But it wasn't a mask was it? That's what you used to be like. When you were with Grimoire Heart?" Oby looked away, "No. I was different then. Before I left Grimoire Heart, I _enjoyed_ being like that."

Ultear's heart skipped half a beat, "That's… terrifying…" Oby nodded and looked troubled. Ultear took a deep breath, "Oby, the day we met, you looked into my future didn't you?" Oby's breath caught slightly and he nodded cautiously. Ultear brushed her hair back, "I've done it enough now to know how many paths the future can take. You must have seen something that made you help me that day. What would my future have been if you hadn't?"

Oby drew in a deep slightly shaky breath and couldn't meet her gaze, "I was hoping you would never ask me that." Ultear leaned down, "Tell me." "In the future I saw where I didn't help you Ultear, you went back to that institute where they lied and said your mother had left you there indefinitely. You wallowed in your despair and anger and hate, submitting to the twisted experiments they did on you until one day they pushed you too far and your magic tore the building apart. You wandered to a Library of Sorcery, and there you met Master Hades of Grimoire Heart, the man who taught and almost killed me."

Ultear's breath caught and Oby continued, "You would've met me when I came to kill him, and I would've pulled you back onto a lighter path with the rest of Grimoire Heart, but you would never have seen your mother again because I wouldn't have been there to intervene in the fight with Deliora at Brago. Ur would've used the Iced Shell to stop Deliora. Lyon would've gone missing and come mildly unhinged for a long time until Gray caught up to him and knocked some sense back into him, and Gray would've probably taken at least a decade to get the chip off his shoulder, assuming he ever did."

Ultear flinched and cringed at the thought of her family being in such a wretched state. Oby sighed, "You still would've learned the Arc of Time, but it would've been the imperfect version I started out with, and you might very well have one day blasted your body irreversibly forward trying to turn back time, losing decades off your life. In short," Oby finished, "Almost exactly what I expect you saw in Gildarts' test."

Ultear was shaking and trying to hold back tears. Oby looked up at her and pulled her down to him again, "Don't cry Ultear, you're not on that path anymore, that awful future will never happen." Ultear shook her head, "That's not all I saw," she said quietly.

Oby closed his eyes and used his Arc of Time to watch the events Ultear had seen unfold. A life where he had never left Grimoire Heart. His heart clenched and he shook with horror and rage as he saw what he had been so close to becoming. He clutched Ultear to him as though afraid she might dissolve into dust if he let go. "I will _never_ do anything like that to you," he growled as the horrible images of his, it couldn't really be called a _relationship_ with the Ultear of that timeline played out.

"We did make a cute baby though," Ultear whispered. Oby's heart skipped a beat and then he smiled and laughed slightly, "Yeah, we do add up to a really cute baby."

Then Ultear blushed and started drawing little hearts on Oby's shoulder with her finger, "Um speaking of that, I know you asked me not to look into the future about our relationship but…" Oby sighed, "What did you see?" Ultear grimaced, "There's about a one in eleven chance of us lasting." The grimace turned into an honest smile, "the sex is amazing though."

Oby smiled, "Of course it is. You're involved." Ultear blushed and whispered in his ear, "If I catch the promotion I'll show you how amazing tonight." Oby blushed so crimson his hair almost turned pink, "That is _so_ bribery of the test proctor." Ultear sat up and put her hands on his shoulders, "Did it work?"

==A Few Moments Later==

A brightly smiling Ultear dragged a very pummeled looking Oby out of the woods. The others looked at her in slight awe as she grinned, "We pass!" Oby waved at his rock weakly and a door appeared in it, "Yeah, good job guys, go on up. You're almost half way done." The contestants cheered and after they disappeared through the door, Oby's bruises and wounds faded away as he released the illusion.

He reached over and plucked a long grass stalk before sticking it in the corner of his mouth. He pulled out his gate key, "Open Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!" Virgo popped through her gate and sat down next to him, eyeing him thoughtfully as he looked up at the sky, "Did something happen?"

Oby sighed, "You know how I asked Ultear to never look into the future regarding our relationship?" Virgo nodded, "Because finding out how bad the odds are of any relationship making it can discourage people and make them expect it to fail which results in self-fulfilling prophecy?" Oby sighed, "Yeah. It's easy to tell she's new to the whole reading the future thing or she'd know how amazingly _good_ ten to one is."

"Did you tell her that?" Oby sighed, "No. The idea's in her head now, and once something like that gets in the only way to get it out is memory magic. What's worse is that she told _me_ so now I know that she knows and that means I'm expecting her to expect it to fail and she probably expects me to expect it to fail, and that leads me to expect all that expecting to lead up to a reality where we drift apart in less than six months."

Virgo blinked, "Ok, I talk to you a _lot_ and even I had trouble following that." Oby chuckled slightly, "Long story short my relationship with Ultear is most likely screwed." Virgo suddenly straddled him and leaned down with a grin, "Perhaps I should be too in order to take your mind off it? It _has_ been a while after all." Oby's eyes widened and then he grinned, "Yeah, might as well."

==Meanwhile==

"…but what if he wasn't expecting it to fail and now that I told him I looked he's expecting me to expect it to fail and expect him to expect it to fail and that actually _does_ make him expect it to fail and then it fails because he started expecting it to fail when he expected me to be expecting it to fail which I only did because I expected him to expect it to fail when really he hadn't been expecting it at all and it's just my expectations that led to his expectations and all those expectations make it fail?" Ultear moaned as she walked up the steps, "Oh I'm such an idiot!"

"That's probably why he told you not to look," Eric said dryly. "I KNOOOOW!" Ultear wailed. Eric suddenly snapped around and pointed at Sorano, "No! Don't even think about it! I heard that evil thought cross your mind! Don't do it! That poor word has been used more than enough in the last five minutes!" Sorano shrugged with a grin, "Well if you insist."

Natsu looked at Eric, "What was it? I didn't catch it." Sorano opened her mouth and Eric cut her off, "Not important! It was nothing! Don't give her an excuse! Oh god she's already singing it in her head! How did you even turn that into a song?! Let alone one that catchy?! It's gonna be in my head all day!" Sorano grinned wickedly and waggled her eyebrows at him as he covered his ears and cringed, "That's what you get for spoiling my fun." Eric shuddered, "Ohhh you're evil…"

Sorano blushed, "Aww! You're such a flatterer! Better be careful before Kinana gets jealous!" Eric groaned to the ceiling and sky beyond, "What did I do to deserve this?" "Enough you guys we're here!" Erza called over her shoulder.

She pushed open the door at the top of the stairs and they found themselves in a stormy mountain valley. Erza raised an arm to cover herself against the biting wind, "Oby really outdid himself with these enchantments!" "Who do you think is on this floor?!" Sorano called. Eric and Natsu suddenly yelled in unison, "IT'S-" **BOOM!**

Before they could finish a massive blast of lightning slammed into the ground next to them and Laxus was right on top of them. Everyone who didn't scatter was scorched by the proximity of the lightning. Before anyone could react, the entire valley was shrouded in darkness. Ultear immediately stopped time and grabbed the two people closest to her before dragging them out of the dark with her. Those two people happened to be Cana and Kagura.

Ultear paused to examine the past and walked back into the darkness Simon had conjured, carefully making her way to Erza and Sorano and pulling them out. Then she went back in and fished out Yukino as well. She positioned one of her crystal ice balls next to Laxus' head and charged it with Crash magic. Then she found Simon and encased him in a block of ice from the shoulders down. She hunted down Jellal and stuffed him into an ice cage with Erza.

She restarted time and snapped her fingers. There was a very loud bellow as her crystal ice ball slammed into Laxus' head at the speed of a cannon ball. She turned to the others, "We'll let the boys fight it out in there, Natsu and Eric are the only ones who stand a ghost of a chance against Laxus in there. Erza's in the bubble over there with Jellal, I figured she would appreciate the chance to lecture him. I froze Simon in a block of ice, don't worry Kagura he'll be fine, he's just stuck right now. Now that that's settled, we've got bigger problems."

"Like what?" Cana asked and Ultear pointed. Master Makarov grinned down at them from atop a nearby rock, "I hope you didn't forget that there are _two_ S-Class on each floor." Ultear grinned, "Oh don't worry, I _planned_ for it. Cana! Dad Distraction Combo!" Cana smirked wickedly, "Right!" Everyone looked at her as she pulled a couple of her magical cards and threw them at Makarov.

Makarov raised an eyebrow and threw up a magic shield to deflect the attack. Then he found himself smothered in bikini babes. Makarov tried to protest, he really did. His protests were smothered in a manner that made him wonder if death by suffocation would really be all that bad. The girls carefully edged around their pervertedly giggling guild master and were just in time to see a very beaten and bloodied Jellal fly through the side of the ice cage Ultear had conjured.

Erza was right behind him and on top of him an instant later slapping him, "How could you do something like that?! I was all ready to say yes the minute you asked me out and then you had to go and do something stupid like that! Don't even think about trying to ask me out now! The answer is NO!"

Jellal looked like Erza's words were hurting him a lot more than the beating she had given him. Erza was on the verge of pulling her hair out, "And now I can't go out with Simon either because I can't stand the thought of being the wedge that drives my friends apart! GAAAH! WHY DID YOU DO SOMETHING SO STUPID?!" Erza slapped him again for good measure and stormed over to the other girls, shooting a glare at the now completely incapacitated Makarov. She crossed her arms and huffed, " _Men._ " The other girls gave her sympathetic looks and shrugs. Sorano patted her on the shoulder.

Sorano was suddenly knocked flat from behind as Eric was launched out of the darkness Simon had conjured. She hit her head and was out for the count. "Sorano!" Yukino shouted before uttering a very surprised "EEP!" as Natsu landed at her feet looking very pummeled and scorched indeed.

Just as Eric was getting up, Laxus rocketed out of the dark and knocked him out. He was immediately clocked by another one of Ultear's crystal ice balls. This time though it shattered and reformed around his head. Laxus blew it apart with lightning and Ultear reformed it. Laxus blew it apart again and got clocked by Cana's Crash magic. Laxus tried to get up and found himself rooted to the ground by Kagura's Gravity magic. Laxus started trying to get up and Erza delivered a half ton drop kick to his gut courtesy of Kagura. Laxus made a very interesting wheezy sound and then passed out.

Erza hopped off him and walked over, "So it looks like it's just me and you now Ultear." "If you can get past me!" Makarov declared, now back on his feet despite the bikini girls all over him. Ultear whispered something in Cana's ear and pulled out a camera. Makarov got a very bad feeling before Cana threw another card at him. Immediately he was back in a pile of illusory girls, but this time it was the girls taking the trial in their underwear. Makarov was startled and then horrified as Ultear snapped a picture and Erza and Kagura shrieked in embarrassment.

Ultear grinned and waved the camera at Makarov as the illusions disappeared, "Now then, are you going to let us pass or is this picture getting plastered all over Magnolia?" Makarov was ghostly pale and then he nodded, "Give me that picture so I can destroy it and you're all free to go. The door's right over there."

Ultear grinned and sent Cana, Erza and Kagura over to the door. The minute they were through, Ultear tossed Makarov the camera and disappeared through the door. Makarov quickly opened the film container, extracted the film and burned it. Only when it was completely destroyed did he breathe a sigh of relief, "That may well have been the scariest thing anyone has ever threatened me with."

"Tell me about it," Laxus agreed, "Can you imagine if Gildarts or Oby saw that?" "Saw what?" Oby asked as he poked his head through the door. Makarov was immediately paler than a ghost and Oby frowned before covering his eyes and checking to see what had happened. After a moment Oby started laughing, "That's brilliant! I'm so proud of her! It's utterly terrifying but it's also the best damn blackmail idea I've ever heard of! If I didn't have my Arc of Time to deal with stuff like that I'd be scared shitless too! She really got you good Master!"

"STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!" Makarov yelled.

==Meanwhile==

"Please don't ever do that again," Kagura asked as she raced up the stairs behind the others. Ultear laughed, "Don't worry Kagura, I didn't actually take a picture of him. I was aiming the camera over his head. I only did it because we'd never have beat him in a head on fight." "No not that!" Kagura exclaimed, "The thing where Cana made illusions of us in our underwear! Not cool!" Cana laughed, "Oh don't tell me you're shy Kagura!"

"Don't tease her Cana, she's too young to be flaunting her good looks," Ultear said over her shoulder, "Honestly you and Erza are too." "I am not too young for a boyfriend!" Erza protested. "You're too young to be running about in capris and a bikini top all the time though," Ultear pointed out, "And you're definitely too young to be seducing boys." Erza blushed as red as her hair, "S-seducing?!"

"Yep!" Ultear replied cheerfully, "You are _definitely_ too young for that. At least another three years for you, four for Cana and seven for Kagura. Yes I _am_ invoking the "Big Sister" clause here, and Erza don't even try to tell me I can't because Zera would agree with me."

Erza blushed and didn't reply. Then steam roiled out of her ears with embarrassment as Kagura asked, "Sis? What's seducing?" Ultear howled with laughter, Cana snickered and Erza stammered, "I'll, I'll tell you when you're older. It's nothing you need to be concerned about right now. Just don't worry about it for now."

Ultear's laughter continued until she and the others burst through the door to the third floor and they remembered who was waiting for them. "Sorry girls," Ur said in a way that said she really wasn't sorry at all. "Dead end," Gildarts added with a grin. Ultear's breath caught as she saw her parents and half a dozen of her friends arrayed against her.

Then she took a deep breath and as she let it out she moved her hands in a wide circle, "Time of Reckoning." There was a flash of light and suddenly a fully grown Ultear stood where she had been a moment before. Ultear moved into a low crouch and smirked as an ice blade materialized in her hands. There wasn't even a flash of movement as she seemed to teleport behind her opponents. Everyone turned to look and those who had been standing against her realized immediately that she had thoroughly lacerated them on her way past. Everyone but Ur and Gildarts went down immediately.

Ultear collapsed to her knees panting as her age returned to where it normally was. She staggered back to her feet and turned to face her parents who had turned to watch her carefully. She turned just in time to see Cana throwing her cards. A moment later Ur and Gildarts were caught in a pillar of lightning. They had just an instant after the lightning faded before Erza and Kagura clubbed them in the head from behind with the butts of their swords.

There was silence for several moments and then Master Makarov cleared his throat, "Well, as you have completed this part of the trial there is only the final part left. We must decide which of the remaining two of you is to be promoted. So Oby, if you'll wake up Ur and Gildarts, the S-Class will convene and decide which of the two finalists are to be promoted." Oby strode over to Ur and Gildarts and laid his hands on their shoulders. A moment later they were awake with all their wounds quickly zipping themselves shut.

A few moments later found the five S-Class of Fairy Tail seated around a table again, this time in the sound proofed basement of the keep. Oby kicked back, "You all know I vote Ultear. Erza's definitely got the spirit and power for S-Class, nobody can deny that, but I'd say she's still a little bit young, and aside from her Requip magic all she's got is what comes with her armor. She's a force to be reckoned with, and I fully expect her to be a warrior almost without equal one day, but for now she's a little too straight-forward. I'd say Ultear's got her beat with brains and variety. None of the other semifinalists would've made it past me on the first floor if Ultear hadn't been there, and she took down all eight opponents on this floor before they could even blink. She only needed the others to deliver the finishing blow to Ur and Gildarts because she wasn't aiming to kill or cripple when she struck."

Makarov hmmmed, "Well biased as you are, you do make very valid points. However I would like it noted that Erza _did_ last longer than anybody fighting you Oby, and she was the only one not shaken by Gildarts' trial."

Gildarts cleared his throat, "Yes, but her worst fear was in fact something that could be defeated by fighting. The others had much more crippling fears that couldn't be addressed so easily. Eric saw his girlfriend dead at his feet, he only passed my test because he made the very valid point that no good boyfriend wouldn't be terrified of losing his girlfriend, and that fearing something is not the same as being crippled by it. He trusts Kinana to take care of herself and I couldn't fail him with that argument."

"Sorano," he continued, "was thrown back into that horrible tower where Oby found her and the others. She actually managed to work up the nerve to escape for Yukino's sake knowing she'd probably be tortured and killed if she were caught, which was very likely. And Ultear," his expression darkened as he looked at Oby, "I don't want to talk about it." "And you think I do?" Oby shot back icily, "That was _not me_ Gildarts! That was a horrible twisted nightmarish could-have-been and I would never EVER treat her or anyone else like that!"

Everyone was looking between the two nervously and Ur asked, "What exactly did Ultear see?" Oby exhaled through his nose, still locked in his glaring contest with Gildarts, "The enchantment on that room was designed to show the contestants their worst fears. I had an idea of what each of them would see and Ultear is the only one who went in that I was wrong about. It was much worse than simply being thrown back to the day she almost gave up on coming home."

Ur visibly flinched and Oby continued with no small amount of heat in his voice, "What she saw was an alternate timeline. A horrible nightmare where I never left Grimoire Heart and became the monster Hades was trying to grow me into. Ultear would've joined Grimoire Heart if she hadn't come home, and in that nightmare I was the worst of a guild full of monsters. I was the complete opposite of who I am now and a nightmare to her in particular.

"Fairy Tail in ruins after a war with Phantom Lord, Sorano Eric Macbeth Sawyer and Richard being five of the most powerful dark wizards on the continent piloting an ancient weapon that could turn anybody evil, Jellal being another of the continent's strongest dark wizards with Simon, Milliana, Sho and Wally as his henchmen!

"Sweet little Kagura cold hard and ruthless, Master Makarov _dead along with all the other Guild Masters_ , Ur _dead_ , Lyon out of his mind, Gray moody, cold, troubled and guilt-ridden over Ur's death and then dead trying to stop Lyon from reviving Deliora, you Gildarts still a hopeless womanizer that never found out Cana was your daughter with Cana becoming one of world's worst alcoholics due to her chronic depression about not being able to tell you who she is!

"Sorano and Yukino and Richard and Wally never reunited, Zera and Erza both just as bad as me if not worse, _Zeref himself_ _on the loose and Acnologia returned and on the warpath!_ _ **What part of that Gildarts makes you think it was any less of a nightmare for me to watch than her?!**_ "

Oby was on his feet yelling by the time he finished and when his tirade was over he collapsed into his seat, the tears that had been building throughout the rant finally breaking loose as the others stared at him. "Fairy Tail's the best thing that's ever happened to me," Oby said in a quiet dead sounding voice, "I would never hurt Ultear, or anybody…not like that…you have to believe me…I'm, I'm not like that anymore…"

There was a long silence and then Makarov cleared his throat, "Um…all in favor of promoting Ultear to S-Class?" Oby threw his hand up and a moment later Makarov nodded, "Very well it's unanimous." Oby sighed and pulled himself together, "Let's, let's go congratulate her."

 **AN:** _For those interested in it, if I receive 50 reviews asking for it, I can and will write the alternate timeline Oby and Ultear saw where Oby never left Grimoire Heart. It will definitely be rated M and possibly fall into the "horror" category because it will be insanely dark._

 _Also, if you have read chapter 488 of the manga, then please join me in a loud "NOOOOOOOO!" and then a good hard "DAMMIT MEST!"_


	11. Chapter 11: Demons and Dragons

Chapter 11 – Demons and Dragons

==Six Months Later==

Oby was trudging. Virgo was very distressed by that. Oby _never_ trudged. "Come on Oby, smile! It's a beautiful day! I'm here, you're here, we just finished a job and saved a town," Virgo's forced smile faded as the rain cloud over Oby's head that had been ever present since Ultear had broken up with him two weeks earlier didn't even flinch. It was a literal storm cloud too, rain, little winds, occasional thunder and lightning, Virgo was surprised that his magic was so affected by his emotions but had decided not to mention it in case making him think about how he felt made him feel worse.

Virgo thought about offering to make out, but she had already tried that and more with little to no effect. She would've been insulted if she wasn't so worried.

"Oby," she said quietly, and finally Oby looked over at her. "You're starting to scare me," Virgo said quietly, "I've never seen you this quiet and gloomy. I know you loved Ultear to death, but come on, there are way more girls out there than just her, maybe even better ones. You said she had foreseen a one in eleven chance of you two lasting long term. What were the other ten?" Oby blinked in surprise and looked at her.

Virgo smiled for real now, it was the most reaction she had gotten out of him in two weeks, "Come on," she prodded, "You can tell me." Oby looked up as the storm cloud over his head finally quieted and faded, "The other ten…Actually there were several, it was technically a three in thirty-three chance, there were actually sixteen girls who I stood a chance of winding up with long-term at that point. Two of them were only possible because there's a chance I'll wind up in bed with them at some point, the only chance they stood was based on the mutual physical attraction. There's one who will most likely one day look up to me because I'll save her from a very bad situation, and she's going to be absolutely gorgeous when she grows up, but I have a feeling she's going to be a little too uptight for a relationship with me."

He sighed and went on, "Little Kagura looks up to me a lot, and she's going to be beautiful one day, but I don't think I'd ever be able to see her as anything other than sweet little Kagura who laughed so hard the first time she managed to change her own gravity. Milliana and Yukino are the same. They'll all be drop-dead gorgeous one day, so I won't rule out the possibility of a drunk one night stand with them, but I don't know that I'll ever be able to see them as anything other than my sweet little sisters. There's one more who we're actually on the road to pick up right now that's the same way."

Virgo stared, "You didn't tell me that!" Oby smiled, "I didn't? Whoopsy. Anyway, moving on with the list, Elena Lockser is definitely cute, and we get along well, but there's just no spark there to light a fire with, and the odds of one forming are quite slim. That's all the ones that Ultear really didn't have any cause to worry about. There are seven who have as good a chance as she did. One is the another of the three people we're going to get right now, Mirajane Strauss. She's beautiful, sweet, intelligent, and fiery enough to rival Erza and Zera, who are numbers three and four. Number Five is Sorano, I've got a feeling she's just waiting for a chance to pounce on me, and it'll be a very fun pouncing."

"You sure do get pounced a lot don't you?" Virgo noticed. Oby grinned, "It's always worth it too. Number Six is Juvia Lockser. Unlike Elena, there is actually a spark there that if the way she acts around me is anything to go by could be fanned into a roaring and cozy fire very easily. I'm not going to pounce on that because I think she's gonna go nuts for Gray when she meets him and Lyon's gonna go nuts for her, and that's going to be way too much fun to let not happen."

Virgo grinned and patted herself on the back, Operation: Snap Oby Out of His Post Break-Up Funk was a complete success, "Who's Number Seven?" Oby blushed slightly, "Levy." Virgo's eyes shot up, "Whaaat?! The little bookworm you're training?!" Oby snorted slightly with laughter, "Yeah, she's gonna grow up to be a little fireball. I think there's someone better for her in her future, but if she wants some when she's old enough, I sure won't turn her down."

Virgo stared and then grinned playfully, "I never knew you were such a pervert Oby! I might have to punish you a little!" Oby grinned back at her as they topped a hill, "As much fun as I'm sure that would be, we're here and what are they doing in front of Mira's house?" Virgo looked in surprise and saw a bunch of people, it looked to be nearly the entire population of the little town in the valley below gathered in front of a small wooden house across the valley.

Oby looked like he was spacing out for a moment and then his expression turned dark. "Let's go," he snarled as he took off, growing older with every step and his power whipping the wind into furious little gusts around him as he ran, Virgo hot on his heels.

==Five Minutes Later==

The small mob in front of the Strauss House froze and turned as someone whistled very loudly and somehow made the whistle _angry_ from the back of the crowd. They saw a young man with prematurely snow white hair in a long black coat tapping his foot at them while standing in his own personal miniature whirlwind as the dangerous looking young pink haired woman next to him fingered something attached to her belt.

"Would anyone like to explain to me," the man declared in a quiet but carrying voice, "Just exactly _why_ there is a mob harassing three innocent children?!" One particularly dimwitted villager declared that the girl was a demon and suddenly found himself lifted off the ground by the throat, a very angry wizard glaring at him, "Want to run that by me again? I don't take it very well when little kids are persecuted for unlocking the potential to be strong wizards."

He held the man in the air for a few moments more and then dropped him. The villager fell on his butt immediately and staggered back as Oby glared at the villagers around him, "Now then. Introductions. I am Oberon Williamson of the Fairy Tail Guild's S-Class. I am also a Demon Slayer, and I came to town today to kill a demon hiding in your town's _church_. I got here five minutes ago, and what do I find? My target already dead, _and the little girl who killed it being harassed for being a demon herself_. What do you think I should do to the people harassing my new apprentice and her siblings hmm?" He slammed his fist into his palm and the wind around him picked up tremendously, "Cause I've got a few _ideas_ about how to handle the situation!"

"You better run," Virgo cheerfully called, "He's pissed, and his most famous trick is throwing mountains around!" The villagers stared at her in shock and then the ground started rumbling and the wind started howling as a fraction of Oby's magical aura manifested around him as a flare of blue energy. The villagers promptly took Virgo's advice and ran away as fast as they could.

Oby dispersed the wind, rumbling and magical aura with a snort. He turned and went over to the door of the Strauss house and noticed the three white haired heads popping back down behind the window frame when he turned to look at the house. He knocked lightly, "Mira? Elfman? Lisanna? Can I come in? I know you're scared, but I'm here to help."

Mirajane timidly opened the door and Oby almost turned around and torched the whole village as he saw how scared she was. Instead he smiled gently, "Hey, it's alright. I'm here to help with your arm." Mira's eyes widened and she quickly opened the door to let him in. Oby stepped inside and saw that Elfman and Lisanna were cowering behind the doorframe that led into the living room. He looked over at the recently broken window and went over to it. He snapped his fingers and the broken glass flew back into the frame and fused back together like it had never been broken at all.

Oby picked up the rock that had broken it and saw with his time magic as he picked it up that it had hit Mirajane in the head when it came through the window.

Oby bounced the rock in his hand with a dangerous look in his eye as he walked back over to the door. He stepped outside and charged the rock with magical purpose as he hauled back. He hurled the rock with such force it broke the sound barrier as it left his hand on its way to fulfill its objective of "return to sender with interest". Oby turned back to Mirajane, who was hiding behind Virgo from the look Oby had had in his eyes.

Oby regressed to his natural age, which was only three years older than Mirajane. He smiled at her, "Come on now, I'm only scary to people who hurt my friends. Let's see that arm of yours so I can fix it." Mirajane Elfman and Lisanna stared and after a moment Mira whispered, "You're just a kid…" Oby snorted, "I'm three years older than you and I was trained by one of the strongest wizards in the world. Trust me, I was killing demons so big they flattened entire cities for fun when I was your age. Virgo wasn't kidding when she said my best trick is throwing mountains around. I can go do it right now if you don't believe me."

"No, no, that's okay," Mirajane said quickly, "I was just, surprised. Can you really fix my arm?" Oby nodded with a smile, "Of course I can. Really there's nothing to fix except your control of your magic." Mira blinked in surprise and clutched her arm to her side, "What?"

Oby nodded, "I suppose we should sit down and I'll explain to you about your magic. Elfman and Lisanna have the potential to learn the same kind of magic, so they should listen too." Mira nodded tentatively to Elfman and Lisanna who came out from where they were hiding behind the doorframe and sat down. Oby walked over and pulled out Mirajane's seat for her. She blushed slightly and sat down with a little smile.

Oby sat down too as Virgo wandered off, "So, first thing's first. Don't let what those dumb villagers were yelling get to you. You are in no way, shape, form or fashion a demon. What you _are_ is a budding wizard, and I think you'll be a very powerful one at that." Mira blinked in surprise, "A wizard?" Oby nodded, "A wizard, just like me. Or more accurately, like my old friend Maria. She uses the same kind of magic you do, which is called "Take Over". It's not officially a "Slayer" magic, but I think it should be since it has some definite similarities. What your magic does Mira, is allow you to override and control a demon's body and even their powers if you're strong enough. There are all kinds of Take Over magic, and they are referred to as "souls". A particularly strong Take Over wizard can even absorb the target of their magic and later shapeshift into that thing with all its powers. That's what you did to the demon you fought _instinctively_."

The Strauss siblings were staring as Oby continued, "That's part of how I know you'll be a great wizard one day Mira. Only an exceptionally talented wizard could use their natural magic at that level with no training. The only reason your arm hasn't transformed back yet is because you don't know how to change it back. Your magic is as far as I know a very unique form of Take Over called _Satan Soul_. Somehow you've got demon particles in your system which allow you to use your family's Take Over on demons. It's a rare and amazing gift that you should be very proud of since only demons the likes of the ones from the Books of Zeref would be able to stand a chance against you."

Oby smiled, "If I may hold your head for a moment, I learned what's called Archive magic from a friend a few years back, and I can use it to transfer my knowledge of Take Over Magic to each of you. You'll need practice, but transforming your arm back should be a cinch Mira." Mira looked at her arm and then at Elfman and Lisanna apprehensively.

She looked at Oby, "This magic, Satan Soul, do Elfman and Lisanna have it? I don't want anyone mistaking them for demons." Oby smiled gently, "No, Elfman and Lisanna don't have Satan Soul, and I don't think anyone in the world but you could use it without some seriously horrible and dangerous medical procedures that I shudder to even consider the existence of. Elfman has what's called Beast Soul, he'll be able to use his Take Over on generic monsters, like ogres and giant lizards such. Unless I'm mistaken, Lisanna has Animal Soul, she'll be able to use her Take Over on things like fish and birds and cats. If she uses it on a fish she'll be able to turn into a mermaid." Lisanna's eyes lit up, "Really?!"

"Really really," Oby replied with a smile before turning back to Mirajane, "Your magic is nothing to be afraid or ashamed of Mira, it's a gift that will let you protect your family and friends from something that most people wouldn't have the nerve to even remain in the presence of, let alone fight. If you're worried about people shunning you for wielding the power of a demon, then come back to Fairy Tail with me. Everyone'll be amazed and as impressed with you as I am."

Mira was still clearly on the fence, so Oby continued, "Do you know what a guild is to its members Mira?" Mira shook her head slightly and Oby smiled, "It's our family. For a lot of us it's the family we never had. Everyone in the family is our brother or sister or funny uncle or aunt and Master Makarov is Gramps. We would never let anyone hurt our family, and if anyone tries, well, Fairy Tail isn't known for being one of the most destructive guilds for nothing. When somebody messes with our family, they done messed up."

Mira was wavering and Oby took out a balloon, "How about this, I'll make a bet with you Mira. If I can fly this house to Fairy Tail with my magic and a bunch of balloons, you give us a chance. If I can't, I won't talk about it anymore, and I'll teach you how to control your magic either way." Mira at the incredibly bold claim and then tentatively nodded. "Great! It's a deal," Oby declared and Virgo moaned from upstairs, "Awww! I had just finished getting them packed!"

The Strauss siblings blinked and Oby waved away their growing concerns, "Virgo's just proactively helpful. Don't worry, I'm the only person she teases. So, I'm going to step outside and start tying balloons on, you three wait here, and I'll be back in, oh…" He vanished for an instant and then reappeared, "…now." He sat down and smiled brightly, "Hang on."

He tapped his toe and the house suddenly lurched. Mira jumped to grab Lisanna and Elfman as the house started shaking. Then suddenly the shaking leveled out and Oby smiled, "Sorry, I know the first takeoff is always a little scary. My gravity magic couldn't cleanly sever the foundations, so I did it with my magic, that's what the shaking was. If you go over to the window, we should be airborne. You may notice your ears popping, don't worry, it's just the altitude change."

The Strauss siblings rushed to the window as the house bobbed gently and saw that the ground was indeed quite a long way down. Oby waved his hand gently, "And off we go!" The countryside started slithering by beneath them and Mira looked at Oby as he got up and walked over, "So, is magic cool stuff or what?" Mira smiled, "Yeah, I guess it is."

Oby smiled, "Would you like to learn how to use your magic now? If Satan Soul is anything like Maria's Angel Soul, then you might grow wings when you use it, and flying's a lot of fun." Mira stared at him, "Angel Soul? Wings?"

Oby nodded, "Angel Soul, wings. Want to try and see what happens?" Mira nodded and Oby laid his hands on either side of her head, "Before I start, is there any other kind of magic you would like to learn? I've mastered dozens of varieties." Mira blinked and blushed slightly, "Um, just, whatever you think is best." Oby nodded with a smile, "Sea Devil Slayer magic it is. This might tickle."

Mira's eyes widened as dozens and dozens of glowing golden bars appeared in the air around her and Oby, quickly changing from golden to light blue as the information whirled into Mira's mind. Mira didn't realize she was holding her breath until she let it out. A massive dark purple magic seal appeared over her head, "SATAN SOUL!"

There was a flash and moment later, Mira staggered back breathing heavily as she adjusted to her new form. Her long white hair was cheerfully ignoring gravity, her ears had become pointed and her clothes had changed into a tight, red, extremely skimpy, high collared, one piece suit and thigh high, high-heeled boots. Her forearms were covered with scales and had fins sticking out of them, her hands were covered in clawed gauntlets and a number of strange dark lines that resembled cracks ran across various parts of her body. Mira had also grown a thick crocodile like tail and wings.

Mira shrieked a little in embarrassment and tried to cover herself with a blush, "Where did my clothes go?!" Oby wiped the blood trickling from his nose as he stared, "I don't know, but they left me in a very happy place, you look amazing Mira…" Mira blushed even more and Oby couldn't help but think she looked even hotter with the blush. For the first time since it happened, Oby was glad he and Ultear had broken up.

Oby shook his head and turned to Elfman as he could tell Mira was embarrassed, "So, Elfman, any preferences for additional magic before we start?" "Um not really," Elfman said nervously, "I don't really know anything about magic…do you have anything that would help me protect my sisters?" That earned him an "Aw…" from Mira and a hug from Lisanna. Oby smiled, "Barrier magic, let's you make shields as strong as your magic will allow, it's got a lot of other uses too, but it's definitely one of the most defensive magics. Hold still."

Oby reached out and laid his hands to either side of Elfman's head. Another flurry of color changing bars later, Elfman staggered back, "Whoa…" then he blinked and looked at his hands, "Why didn't I change like Mira?" Oby smiled, "Well for one, you're not as strong as Mira. Mira's crazy powerful and talented for someone who's just learning to use magic. Most people take time to get the hang of it. The other reason is that I stopped you form transforming. Your Beast Soul is very powerful, but it's also very dangerous if you're not in full control of yourself. Plus there's no telling how big you might get, and we don't want to find out your natural Take Over form is as big as a house while we're _in_ a house."

"Oh," Elfman said with a slight smile, "Okay, I guess you're right. Could I really grow as big as a house?" Oby nodded, "You might even become bigger than a house depending on the Beast Soul you use. It's safest to wait until we're outside to test it." Elfman nodded, "Ok."

Oby turned and crouched down to Lisanna, "And what about you Lisanna? Do you want any extra magic?" Lisanna thought about it for a few moments, "Do you have anything to do with dragons? Dragons are scary but really cool." Oby blinked and then started laughing, "Ohhh Natsu's gonna get such a kick outta you!"

Lisanna blinked curiously, "Who's Natsu?" Oby smiled, "Natsu is a boy at Fairy Tail. He's your age. He has pink hair and a big mouth, aaand his dad's a fire dragon." The Strauss Siblings gaped at him and he grinned at them, "It's true!" There was silence for a few moments and then, "That is so COOL!" Lisaana exclaimed. Oby grinned, "So, you want to learn Fire Dragon Magic like what Natsu has?" "YES!"

Oby smiled, "Ok, this is called Fire Dragon Slayer magic, because humans were originally taught dragon magic to fight bad dragons. This is going to do some weird things to your body, it won't hurt you at all, but it will make you fire proof and allow you to eat flames like food whenever you want." "COOL!" Lisanna exclaimed, and Oby smiled, "Yes it is. Before I give you this magic though, I want you to promise me that you'll be nice to Natsu. This is his signature magic and was a gift to him from his father. If I hadn't been able to copy it from another dragon using my own signature magic, I wouldn't be giving it to you. Do you understand the importance of that?"

Lisanna nodded solemnly, "Uh-huh. Should you, give me a different kind of magic instead?" Oby laughed, "And miss the look on Natsu's face when he meets another Fire Dragon Slayer like him? Not a chance! Don't worry, I'm not giving you his _exact_ magic, it's just very, very similar. I learned this from a dragon named Atlas Flame, not Natsu's dad. I was planning to take Natsu up to meet old Atlas, but now I'll get to take and introduce you to him as well. Actually, now that I think about it, I should probably take you to him and let him teach you in person. I'll be right back."

He disappeared for a split second and reappeared holding a boy with pink hair in a red shirt and a white scarf who appeared to have been in the middle of fighting someone before Oby grabbed him. Natsu stopped swinging and yelling insults at Gray as he realized he was being held upside down in a place that was definitely not the Guild Hall. It only took him a moment to figure out what happened, "OBYYYYY! PUT ME DOWN! WHERE ARE WE?!"

Oby flipped him upright and set him down, "We are in the house of Strauss. Set anything on fire and I'll make sure Laxus hears about it." Natsu blanched and Oby continued, "I found a dragon." Natsu was on his feet immediately, "REALLY?!" Oby nodded, "Really really. So we're going to see him. Lisanna there wants to learn Fire Dragon Slayer magic, and I decided an actual dragon would teach that better than me. So we're all going to see one of the last dragons on earth. And you had better behave Natsu! Atlas Flame is older than Fiore and a very important person. He's also very sick. He's on the mend, but you had still better not give him any trouble. Getting an audience with him is not something to be taken lightly, and he's an old friend of Igneel's, so you unless you want Igneel to hear about it, _behave_."

Natsu got very still, "He knows…Igneel?" Oby twitched slightly, "Yes, and about that, I've got a lead on where Igneel is, but I can't tell you until we get there." Natsu immediately began protesting and demanding to know immediately. Oby knelt down to look him in the eye as he laid a hand on his shoulder, "Natsu, what I found out, is going to be very hard for you. I can't take you to Igneel right now, or we'd already be there. Getting Igneel back is going to take a lot of work, and I'm not even sure I _can_ do it. I need you to trust me Natsu. I'll do everything I can to bring him back, but it's going to be extremely hard."

Natsu trembled slightly, "You…you're making it sound like he's…like he's…" "He's not dead Natsu," Oby declared sharply. Natsu lit up with excitement until Oby continued, "But he is in bad shape. I'll tell you more when we get to where Atlas Flame is, but for now, just know that he's safest where he is, and if anything disturbs him before we're able to get the spell to save him ready, he won't make it. We're only ever going to get one shot, so we have to be patient and make it count. Ok?"

Natsu nodded even though he was still clearly worried, "Ok." Oby smiled as the house suddenly thumped onto the ground, "Good, then I'll tell you in a few moments since we're here now."

Oby stood up and led them all outside, "Welcome to the Village of the Sun, home of giants and Atlas Flame, the Hellfire Dragon. Hang on a moment while I grow to size, wouldn't want anyone getting stepped on." Oby jumped about six meters suddenly _was_ six meters. He turned and knelt down, laying his hand on the ground, "Come on, I'll take you to meet Atlas Flame." Natsu immediately bounced into the massive palm, Lisanna and Virgo right behind him, with Mirajane and Elfman following slightly more tentatively. "When did you learn Gramps' Giant magic?!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly.

"A few days ago," Oby chuckled, "I needed it to walk through town here without being stepped on by mistake."

==Fifteen Minutes Later==

Oby stood before the massive dragon Atlas Flame, "Atlas Flame, I have brought you the human son of Igneel." Before Atlas Flame could respond Natsu was plastered to his nose giving him a hug. Atlas Flame crossed his eyes to look at Natsu, "I'm guessing this is him?" Oby nodded, "That's Natsu. He has some questions about your illness and I have brought him here because I think it is a relatively safe place to tell him what happened all those years ago."

Atlas Flame nodded, "Very well, may I ask why you have brought three other humans with you?" Oby nodded and pointed to Lisanna, "Lisanna here wishes to learn Fire Dragon Slayer Magic from you. I could have taught her myself, but I would not disrespect you in such a way as giving away your secrets to someone you had never met. So I brought her here to meet you."

Atlas Flame pondered that, "I see. You do realize what a long commitment that is right? Although, I suppose you have a way around that don't you?" Oby smiled as he crouched and let Virgo and the Strauss siblings off, "Even if I didn't, I wouldn't refuse any child the chance to meet a dragon. It's a once in a life time experience." Atlas Flame nodded, " _End_ of a lifetime experience with many dragons. You are lucky I am not one of those who likes to eat things which can talk to me or they'd be quite tasty." Oby smiled, "Of course. Would you mind joining me in a time stop?"

Atlas Flame nodded, "Yes, it'll be safest that way." Oby snapped his fingers and the world stopped. The Strauss siblings looked around in shock, but Natsu was still too busy hugging Atlas Flame to care. "Oy, Natsu," Oby said quietly, "Get off Atlas Flame's nose so we can tell you about Igneel." Natsu immediately hopped off, completely forgetting that Atlas Flame's nose was twenty feet in the air.

Natsu had just an instant to remember before he started falling and Oby caught him with Gravity magic so that he floated down as light as a feather. Oby shrank back to normal size, "Ok, Natsu, as promised, I'll tell you where Igneel is now. Atlas Flame, I was able to confirm your hunch." Atlas Flame looked at him in surprise, "So he really did it…"

Then he bowed to Natsu, "It is an honor to see you again mighty Igneel." Natsu immediately hopped up and looked around, "IGNEEL?!" Oby caught his shoulder, "Natsu, Igneel's not here physically." Natsu looked over his shoulder at him, "What? Why is Uncle Atlas talking to him like he's here then?" Atlas Flame looked flustered, "Uncle? A-are you implying that I have some relation to the Fire Dragon King?"

Oby looked up at Atlas Flame, "In our guild friend and family are much the same. As you are Igneel's friend, that makes you a brother to Igneel in the eyes of Fairy Tail. As you are a friend of mine, and now Natsu's you are part of our extended family as well. Well," he grinned, "Rather more closely related to Natsu than the Clives I suppose, but family is family." Atlas Flame looked slightly uncomfortable, "I'm not sure how I feel about that…"

Oby smiled, "Just don't eat or torch any Fairy Tail wizards and it's all good." Atlas Flame nodded cautiously, "Okay…" Natsu was getting impatient so Oby cleared his throat, "Um, Atlas Flame, would you like to tell him what happened to you or should I?" Atlas Flame leaned down, "It should be me. Son of Igneel, you know that Dragon Slaying Magic was originally made for the purpose of defeating and killing dragons correct?" Natsu nodded, "Yeah. Igneel told me. What's that have to do with where Igneel is?"

"Igneel is in much the same predicament I've been in for the last four hundred years. He was defeated a Dragon Slayer and lost a large part of his soul in the battle." It took a moment for that to sink in, and then Natsu's eyes got very wide, "W-what? I-Igneel wouldn't lose…" "Against the most powerful Dragon Slayer in the world, he did," Oby said quietly, "Now hush and let Atlas Flame finish telling you."

Natsu was quiet so Atlas Flame continued, "Despite having our souls torn by that bastard Acnologia, we dragons are not so easy to kill. Many of the dragons have in death become the guardians of humanity. However there were some, who like me, managed to hang on. I teetered on the edge of death for four centuries, until a few days ago your friend Oberon came and performed a small miracle. You see, even from a wounded soul, a dragon can recover if they have a safe place to do it. We just need enough ethernano…"

"Magic," Oby whispered to Natsu as Atlas Flame went on, "However four hundred years ago at the end of the battle between dragons and humans, there wasn't much ethernano to go around, so many of the dragons who were defeated, especially the ones killed by Acnologia, were unable to recover and thus died. Oberon managed to accelerate my revival with a blast of flames from the sky that he claims to have borrowed from something called the Magic Council."

"I wonder if they've figured out somebody hijacked their Etherion cannon yet…" Virgo wondered aloud with a mischievous grin. Natsu stared at her and then at Oby, "You…hijacked…the council's…Etherion…cannon…" Oby shrugged, "I only needed one shot, and it was for a good cause. I didn't destroy anything, and we erased all evidence that it had happened. Besides, who would ever believe one wizard and his celestial spirit partner hijacked, modified and fired one of the strongest magical weapons in the world _and_ erased all trace of their doing it in the space of an instant? You'd have to know me to believe it wouldn't you?" Natsu thought about it and then was quiet for a long time, "So the Etherion cannon can save Igneel?"

Oby shook his head, "No. If it could I would've used it already and taken you to him. Atlas Flame was in a place that could be reached by the cannon safely. All he had to do was look at the sky and say "ahhh" the fire charged cataclysmic energy beam did the rest. Igneel had an even safer place to recover, and I can't hit that with the Etherion Cannon." "Where is it?" Natsu demanded, "you told me nothing can hear what happens in a time stop, so you can tell me!"

Oby poked Natsu's chest, right over his heart, "Right here." Natsu looked down and blinked in confusion, "I don't get it." "There is a spell called the Dragon Soul technique," Atlas Flame rumbled, "it allows a dragon to place a fragment of their soul into a vessel of their choice, a failsafe if you will, in the event the dragon is killed. Igneel chose to entrust the last fragments of his soul to you Son of Igneel."

Natsu stared in shock and then looked down at where Oby had poked him to indicate Igneel was, "So Igneel's inside of me?" Oby and Atlas Flame nodded, "Yep," Oby declared, "He's been watching over you this whole time, and I bet he's been just as sad as you to not be able to tell you where he is." Natsu smiled slightly and hugged himself, "Dad…"

Oby cleared his throat, "Which brings us to the topic of how to get him back. I've got a hunch that I might be able to free the souls Acnologia has devoured if I can beat him, which would allow Igneel and the other dragons to make a full recovery. I'm not strong enough for that yet, but when I am, I'll hunt him down and we'll put an end to him."

"Unfortunately," he added darkly, "I have a hunch he may come to us." Everyone looked at him in surprise, so he explained, "Acnologia's sole purpose in life is the destruction of all dragons, and he includes other Dragon Slayers in that. Should he wake up, which he may do in a few years, he'll come after the first big gathering of Dragon Slayers he can find, intent on their deaths and willing to destroy anything that gets in his way. His Dragon Slayer Magic has advanced to the point where he can transform into a full grown dragon at will, so fighting him will be extremely difficult. He'd probably already be on his way _here_ if I hadn't set this village into a time pocket that can't be found by anyone except a time wizard as soon as Atlas Flame was on his way to a full recovery. Since Fairy Tail is currently the largest gathering of Dragon Slayers in centuries, I'd say there's a worrisomely high chance of him coming after _us_ first."

"So we're kind of racing against the clock to find a way to get rid of him," Oby finished, "I think I know what'll wake him up, but I'm not 100% sure, so I'll be working to find a way to stop him before then and keep him from waking up if I can." Oby scratched his head, "The biggest issue is that I haven't found him yet to read his history and motivations, so I don't know as much as I need to in order to nail down a concrete plan to get rid of him. I've got my ideas, and if he shows up, I'll use all of them. I'm not really all that worried about it. If all else fails, I can hide everybody indefinitely the way I'm hiding the Sun Village right now."

He crossed his arms, "All in all it's just one more future problem that I'm probably going to spend way too much time thinking about. Don't worry you two, I'll get Igneel back." Everyone stared at him and Atlas Flame rumbled, "Boy, I now officially dub you the most arrogant, reckless and utterly insane human I have ever met." Oby looked at him and then pulled a little booklet out of an inside pocket of his coat and flipped through it, "Yep, right here, Fairy Tail Members Handbook, page 6, item 7B: List of admirable traits for a Fairy Tail wizard, points 3, 9 and 14: courageous to the point of fearless, driven to the point of reckless, crazy enough to be up for anything."

He looked up at Atlas Flame and said with a completely straight face, "I'm well within the Guild's standard behavioral territory. And as for arrogance…" He pulled out another little booklet, "Grimoire Heart Members Handbook, page 23, Code of Conduct for Seven Kin of Purgatory, item 3A: All members of the Seven Kin shall comport themselves with an air of supreme self-assurance and infallibility that may resemble arrogance for the purpose of inspiring confidence in lower ranked guild members." Oby waved the little booklets at Atlas Flame, "Again, totally within the rules."

Everyone stared at him and then Atlas Flame started laughing.

==A Few Minutes Later==

Mirajane, Elfman, Virgo and Natsu looked over as they saw Oby release the Time Stop. He had set them out of it first so that they wouldn't have to sit through the years' worth of instruction Atlas Flame and Oby were giving Lisanna in Fire Dragon Slayer magic, and it was kind of a secret Master-to-student-only sort of thing as well.

Mirajane and Elfman started to worry when they saw Lisanna passed out in Oby's arms. "No need to worry!" Oby called with a smile, "Her Take Over transformation just tuckered her out. She actually got a unique one like Mira!" "I'm still having trouble believing it," Atlas Flame rumbled, "I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing, and Slayer magic was common in the old days…"

Mirajane and Elfman ran over to take Lisanna anyway. "What happened?" Mira asked worriedly. Oby smiled, "Well, her body was altered by the Fire Dragon Slayer training, same as Natsu, she's now completely fire proof and can eat fire to replenish her strength and heal. Since her body was altered, it altered the form her Take Over magic took since I didn't help her unlock it until after we had finished her Dragon Slayer training. Lisanna now has what may very well be the first ever case of Take Over: _Dragon_ Soul."


	12. Chapter 12: The Kreeg Job

Chapter 12 – The Kreeg Job

==A Month Later==

Oby walked out onto the landing of the second floor and whistled as he waved the flier, "YO! S-Class job! Who's in?!" Natsu was immediately bouncing and waving his arms wildly, "Me! Me! ME! PICK ME!" "We're gonna be taking a ship Natsu, and it's a long way to Kreeg. _Are you sure_?" Natsu immediately paled along with every other dragon slayer in the building.

Natsu went back to eating, "Nope. I'll go on the next one." Oby smiled, "Anybody? Anybody at all? Jellal! I need somebody other than me that can fly!" "Ok!" Jellal bounced up, delighted that somebody actually wanted him along. He had been having a lot of trouble finding partners for jobs since word of what had happened during the S-Class Trial had gotten out.

"Oh Levyyy…" Oby called in a singsong voice, "We're gonna raid a giant _libraryyy_ full of ancient boo-ooks that can't be found anywhere else in the wo-orld…" Levy bounced up excitedly, "BOOKS!"

Oby grinned, "Errzaaa…exotic sweee-eets…" Erza stood straight up from where she was eating her cake and pointed at him, "I'M IN!" "Can I come too?" Milliana and Kagura asked in unison. Oby nodded, "Of course! We're gonna need all the help we can get! Simon! You comin'?" "Kagura and Erza are going, of course I'm coming!"

Oby grinned, "Cana, Gildarts! You wanna go bust up a giant maze and pulverize a monster that eats little kids?" Gildarts and Cana swapped a glance and then Gildarts raised his mug, "We're in!" Oby grinned, "Good, now who wants to help rustle a flying cow the size of a dragon and stampede it across the continent to get it back here?"

There was a moment of stunned silence and then Macbeth raised her hand, "I like cows." Sawyer sighed, "I guess that means I'm in too!"

"Good! Go get packed and meet me on the dock tomorrow at noon and we'll head off!" They all rushed off to gather their things. Only Gildarts and Cana stayed put. Oby hopped down from the landing and drifted to the ground after making himself light as a feather. He walked over to Gildarts, "Thank you for coming Gildarts, I think you know how tough this job will be." Gildarts nodded, "The Kreeg job would've been a decade quest next year."

Master Makarov looked over at them from his usual seat on the bar, "Are you two sure about taking so many of the younger members on a quest this dangerous?" Oby nodded, "We've got two S-Class, three contenders for the title and half a dozen younger members. Sawyer and Simon will be contenders for S-Class soon, and as much as I've trained Levy she's definitely capable of taking care of herself. We mustn't forget I've got Virgo for back up too. She's S-Class and she would never let anything happen to one of the kids. Milliana's the only one I'm even a little concerned about, and I'll be sending her with Levy and Virgo for the library raid, which will be by far the least dangerous job."

"That still doesn't explain how you're going to beat and humiliate an entire nation with just twelve people," Gildarts grumbled before taking a drink as Cana spewed hers, "WHAT?!"

==The Next Day==

Oby was busily checking over the ship's enchantments and systems to ensure that they were all still functioning properly. It wasn't really necessary, but he was being careful since this was to be the longest flight he had taken this particular ship on. It wasn't nearly as large a ship as most of the ones he had made. Most of the ones he had made to sell to the other guilds had been very big. Blue Pegasus had even ordered one shaped like a giant Pegasus that was big enough to be a guild hall by itself.

Fairy Tail had one just as big, the _Fairy Wind_ , but Oby's team wouldn't be taking that ship. Instead they would be going on Oby's personal ship the _Storm Crow_. It wasn't big, at least compared to the others. However it still had six cabins, a galley and most of the upper deck was covered by a wheelhouse made of metal and glass enchanted for durability.

"Sooo…where are we going?" Erza asked as she walked on deck and poked her head through the door into the wheelhouse, a pack on her shoulder. "We're going to Kreeg, which is halfway across the continent on the southern coast. Very sunny, beautiful weather if you like warm sunshine, lots of mountains, pristine beaches, ruins dating back thousands of years. The ice cream is exquisite I hear. We will specifically be going to the capitol of Avre to let the royal family know we are taking their job request. After that we'll be heading even further south to the island nation of Sonim, which has been terrorizing the entire region for years. Our job is to put an end to their reign of terror, and the Kreegs would prefer if we did it in a very humiliating way so that Sonim won't return to their old tricks anytime soon."

Erza stared at him, "So you really _weren't_ kidding about taking on an entire nation?" Oby shook his head, "Nope. Don't worry, Sonim hasn't got any caster type wizards to speak of, just holders. They've still got their advantages, but we can talk about those more once everyone gets here. I think you'll probably be sharing a room with Levy and Milliana if you're okay with that, the end room on the left. It's the biggest one on the ship aside from mine which is right next door. You can go on down and be checking it out if you'd like." Erza nodded, "Right."

She came back up the stairs a few minutes later, "Hey Oby, is it just me or is that room _way_ bigger on the inside?" "Spatial magic," Oby replied, "The rooms are all in extradimensional spaces linked to our current dimension by the windows and doors. It's sort of like being able to hide in the place where your armor and weapons go between Requips." Erza was quiet for a few moments as she contemplated that.

After a few moments of silence, as Oby finished his preflight check, Erza asked, "So, we've probably got a while before the others get here, wanna talk?" Oby smiled, "I guess we could do that. Would you like to talk here or shall we step downstairs where it's more comfortable?" Erza shrugged with a smile, "It doesn't really matter to me. If downstairs is better, let's go downstairs."

A moment later they were sitting across from each other in Oby's unnaturally spacious cabin, Oby in a squishy chair and Erza on a comfortable couch. "So," Oby asked, "What shall we talk about?" Erza thought for a moment, "You could tell me about yourself. You've saved me from hell on earth, taught me magic and brought me to my new home, reunited me with my sister, stole my first kiss," Oby smiled at the memory of that, "and despite all of that," Erza finished, "I don't really know much about you other than that you're the most powerful wizard I've ever seen."

Oby sat back and eyed her thoughtfully, "What do you want to know?" Erza spread her hands, "Well, like what's your favorite color?" "Blue," Oby replied, "Although really any color can be pleasant in the right circumstances. I used to not like pink until I met Virgo, now it reminds me of her and it's one of my favorites because of that." Erza blinked and then smiled, "That's actually really sweet."

She thought for a moment, "What kind of food do you like?" "Spicy is my favorite although I have an absurdly large sweet tooth. I also like savory dishes but not bitter or sour." Erza sought about for another question, "Favorite kind of book?" Oby thought for a moment, "Adventures and action are good, although a healthy dose of romance is always welcome, and of course, I've eaten entire libraries worth of informational books." Erza raised an eyebrow, "You eat books?" Oby chuckled, "Not really, it's just an expression. I can use Wind Reader Glasses combined with my Arc of Time and the perfect memory imparted by Archive to read and remember entire libraries in very short order. For that reason, I suppose my _favorite_ type of book is the ones I haven't read yet."

"Perfect memory?" Erza asked and Oby nodded, "I never forget _anything_. It makes learning magic very easy." Erza thought for a moment, "You _do_ know a lot of magic don't you? What all can you do? I feel like I've never seen everything you can do." Oby smiled, "You're right about that. I know dozens of kinds of magic, and I hardly ever use most of it." "So what all do you know?"

Oby thought for a second about how to phrase the list to shorten it and then, "I know all known forms of Maker magic, all elements of Devil, God and Dragon Slayer magic as well as all basic elemental magics, every kind of Take Over magic even though I can only use my own, Arc of Time, Art of Trees, Art of Emotion or Maguilty Sense, Barrier magic, Speed and Slowing magic, Giant magic, Celestial Spirit magic, Requip, Art of Embodiment, Curse Doll, Shade and Shadow magic, Absolute Dominion: Territory, Memory, Solid Script, Bullet, and Chain magic, Heaven's Eye, Distortion, Crash, Disassembly, Archive, Hole, Gravity, Absorption, Binding, Blast, Black, Concealment, Copy, Darkness, Defense, Heavenly Body, Illusion, Letter, Light, Sleep, Sound, Spatial, Stealth, Telekinesis, Telepathy, and Transformation magics, as well as Amaterasu and the Eighteen War Gods of Yakuma."

Erza's jaw was slack and she was staring Oby noticed as he finished his list. Erza sat back and stared at the table, "And all I know is my Requip…" Oby resisted the urge to nod, "And you are extremely skilled with it." "How many does Zera know?" Erza asked quietly. "I'm pretty sure Zera knows everything I do," Oby replied, "and honestly probably quite a few I don't. We didn't call her the Witch Queen for nothing, Zera learns magic even easier than I do, and I'm pretty fast on the uptake. It's her passion, she loves magic. I'm just curious and easily bored with all the time in the world, seeking out new kinds of magic is what she does for fun."

There was silence for a few moments and then, "Teach me," Erza said quietly. Oby nodded, "What do you want to learn?" Erza sat forward and put her face in her hands, "I don't know! I just, I…I feel like such a fool! I'm a one trick pony and Zera and you and…" Her body suddenly straightened up without her consent and Oby kissed her.

Erza's eyes widened and a moment later when Oby backed up he caught her face in his hands, "Erza, listen to me. You are an amazing wizard, and you are _not_ a one trick pony. Your spirit and skill with Requip could lay any wizard low in a fight. Never doubt yourself or your strength Erza, because nobody who knows you ever would." He smiled, "And on top of all that you're beautiful with a heart of gold. So smile or I'll use my Maguilty Sense on you."

Erza stared for a moment and then she smiled and leaned her face into his hand, "Thanks Oby." Oby smiled, "If you don't stop being so adorable Erza, I'm going to kiss you again." "Maybe I'd like that," Erza said softly, and a moment later they were making out. Oby suddenly broke off kissing Erza's lips and started to trail kisses across her cheek and down her neck. Then he froze as he realized what he was doing. "Erza," he said quietly in a slightly strained voice, "We need to stop."

"What?!" Erza exclaimed, "Why?!" "Because," Oby said as he clenched his fists on the couch behind her, "If we don't I'm going to have you out of these clothes and in that bed over there within the next five minutes." Erza's eyes widened and she felt him smile into her neck as her heart skipped a few beats, "You're only thirteen, and while I could change that in a heartbeat, I feel like I should at least buy you dinner first." Oby sat up and looked at her, "I already stole your first kiss, I feel like I should at least give you some time to shop around before you give up your first time." Erza stared at him still flushed, blushing and breathing hard as her heart hammered.

Oby smiled, "Don't get me wrong, I want you so bad it hurts, but if I'm going to be your first time Erza, then I'm going to do it right." Erza was starting to frown a little bit and then Oby's smile took on a mischievous tone, "Don't think for a minute I'm going to leave you high and dry though. Quite the opposite," he conjured a ball of blue energy into his hand and smirked, "You might not be able to walk for a while after this."

Erza's eyes widened in surprise and then Oby titled his hand and dropped the blue energy onto her. He immediately had to teleport out of the way as Erza's whole body convulsed with pleasure. _That wasn't even a tenth as strong as the bolts of pain I throwing around during the S-Class trials_ , Oby thought as he blushed at the sight of Erza in the throes of ecstasy. A low moan escaped Erza after a moment that left Oby struggling not to pounce and take her on the spot. Erza continued to writhe and make the most delighted sounds she had never known she could muster for almost five minutes before finally passing out with a contented sigh and a smile. Oby stood and walked around the table, quickly lifting her and taking her to her cabin. He laid her in the bed, tucked her in and gave her a kiss with a gentle smile, "Sleep well."

Then he immediately made a beeline back to his own room and drew Virgo's Gate Key, "Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" Virgo popped through the gate, and immediately assessed the nature of Oby's distress, "Wha-oh," she teased, "Been out peeping?" "No," Oby replied, "I just made out with Erza and stopped myself before I could go too far. So can you please help me before I go crazy?" Virgo laughed and caught his hand, cheerfully leading him to bed as he threw up a time stop, "Of course I can silly!"

==An Hour Later==

Oby sat at the table in the galley with Erza, Virgo, and everyone else going on the job to Kreeg. Erza was having a very difficult time meeting Oby's gaze, but Oby decided not to mention it. Oby cleared his throat, "Okay, so here's the deal." He unfurled a large map across the table, big enough for everyone to see it clearly. He pulled out a stick and pointed out Kreeg on the map, "This is Kreeg. We are being hired by the royal family of Kreeg to put a stop to the tyranny of their neighbor to the south Sonim," he pointed out the island nation of Sonim.

"Sonim is in possession of a giant bull. It is bright red, the size of a dragon, and its blood grants what is known as Aera magic to anything marked with the blood. Aera magic allows the user to grow wings, and because of the Crimson Bull's ability to grant it to anything, Sonim has used it to create a flying army and a flying fleet. They have used this advantage to conquer most of the nations around them. Normally this wouldn't be something we'd concern ourselves with since aside from their Aera magic the Sonimites have only one caster type wizard, their king Zeo, who never battles in person, he always sends his army to do it. Granted, it is a very large and formidable army as far as it goes, but they'd never stand a chance if they tried to mess with Fiore or any other magical power."

"However," he continued, "We are getting involved because the Sonimites have taken to ruling like tyrants and demand sacrificial victims from the nations they've conquered on a regular basis to feed to King Zeo's pet monster which is kept in a labyrinth under the capitol city. As if that weren't bad enough they demand the sacrificial victims be children. So, we are going to Kreeg to let the royal family know we're taking the job, and then we're heading for Sonim and we're going to put an end to their depravity. Any objections?"

There were none so Oby continued, "Alright then, if we're going to break Sonim, then we have to not just hand them a thorough defeat, we've got to humiliate them and stop them from rebuilding their army as soon as we leave. So, we've got to steal the Crimson Bull to put an end to their Aera magic since the magic won't be passed down to their descendants and because it was just bestowed automatically by the Bull's magic, they haven't actually learned it so they can't teach it. We could try to kill the bull, but none of this is the bull's fault and it's supposedly immortal, so I vote for stealing it instead. That'll take all of us and probably be the last thing we do on this mission."

"Next, we've got to kill Zeo's pet monster, the one in the labyrinth that's been eating kids. If the labyrinth gets utterly demolished in the process, so much the better. We also need to leave a sizeable dent in their army so that the lands they're tyrannizing will be able to throw them off. It'll be dangerous but they're not used to fighting opponents that can fly or fight back at them at all really, so we'll be fighting them on a much more even playing field than they're used to. I am going after Zeo himself, he's their only caster type wizard, and he has no heir to the throne. If he's gone, Sonim will be left without a ruler and probably have a fair amount of internal struggle and turmoil among their leadership which they will have a very hard time dealing with as we yank their power out from under them."

"Lastly, Sonim has a massive library of sorcery containing scrolls, books, ancient tablets, all manner of magical instruction and record that they've collected from across their empire to keep anyone from gaining magic to fight them with. There's a few mountains' worth of knowledge in that library and if the Sonimites were to start using it and learning magic the real way they could very quickly grow in size and strength to rival the Alvarez Empire. So, Levy, I want you to clean em out. When we get there, that library is ours." Levy grinned with delight at the thought.

Oby looked around, "Any questions?" "How are we gonna move all those books and stuff?" Gildarts asked, "I mean the fighting's simple enough and we're all great at it, but how are we gonna transport a massive library full of books and stone tablets and stuff?" Oby grinned and lifted a suitcase before setting it on the table, "Extra-dimensional suitcase. Levy takes this to the library, opens it up, and starts packing." Gildarts nodded, "Alright then." He looked around, "We all set to go?"

There was a round of affirmations and Oby grinned, "Then let's get going."

==Three Hours Later==

Laxus leaned against the bar and looked at his guild mates thoughtfully. Makarov was seated on the bar next to him, "It seems you've noticed their disappointment at not getting to go on the Kreeg job." Laxus looked at him, "Someone actually took that job?"

Makarov nodded, "Oby roped Gildarts in along with Cana, Erza, Jellal, Simon, Kagura, Milliana, Levy, Macbeth and Sawyer. Natsu wanted to go, but they're taking Oby's boat to Kreeg. Natsu would've been miserable. The Strauss siblings got back right after Oby's team left, and with Lisanna being a Dragon Slayer too she wouldn't really have been able to go even if they had made it in time. Ur, Ultear, Gray and Lyon still aren't back from their training trip to Mount Hakabe, and Sorano and Yukino are visiting the Heartfilias. They feel left out, and the job board's a bit bare right now, so taking a job until everyone gets back isn't so easy."

Laxus downed his drink and grinned, "Well, I'll just have to do something about that."

==Half an Hour Later==

Laxus came to the railing of the second floor landing with a grin, whistled and waved a flier, "S-Class quest! We're findin' a lost city of gold in the jungle! No boats, no carriages! Flying Dragon Squadron and Thunder Legion! You guys in?" There was a chorus of delighted affirmation. Laxus grinned, "And I bet Mirajane and Elfman want in too right?" "Of course we do!" Mirajane yelled back. "Alright! Gramps, we're takin' the Matachu job!" Laxus declared with a grin.


	13. Chapter 13: The Storm

**AN:** _First off, I am so sorry for going so long without an update. It's terrible, I'm utterly appalled that I let your wait go on that long and I'm going to try to keep it from happening again. I've recently acquired a job and been going full tilt all day and been too drained of energy and time to get much done. I looked at my stories a few weeks ago and decided that over two months between posts on any given work, let alone ALL my stories was unacceptable and that I was going to try to fix that._

 _So I now give you my_ **HALLOWEEN MEGA MONSTER POST!**

 _We have a chapter of…_

 **= The Kinjutsu 3** , _where we answer the questions:_ _What if Naruto weren't the only one to learn a powerful forbidden technique from the Forbidden Scroll the night of the Mizuki Incident? What if Shikamaru woke up on the mysterious right side of the bed and gave up laziness for a day just to see what happens? What if Hinata suddenly grew a spine a few days before the graduation exam?_

 **= Jiraiya-Sensei** , _where Jiraiya has an epiphany a day before Naruto graduates the Academy and resolves to set the many mistakes of his life right. AU_

 **= Fallen Leaves,** _which is a look at a possible near-absolute-worst case scenario for Konoha. At the end of the Third World War, Stone and Cloud launch a surprise last minute assault with three fully realized Jinchuriki. Six years later, Itachi kills all remaining Uchiha except for Obito and Rin. Now with scarcely two dozen people left in the Village, can Hidden Leaf make a return to glory? Naruto thinks so!_

 **= Fairy Tail Oberon,** _where e_ _verybody's getting new tricks to keep up with an OPMC and the more powerful world they now live in. Please note that there is no skipping between the characters joining the guilds as kids and their adventures as young adults, all the adventures they have between joining Fairy Tail and the start of canon are being explored as well. There will be new villains and threats in addition to those present in canon. Very AU. Please enjoy._

 **And not one but TWO chapters of**

 **= Naruto Vermillion Thunder,** _where Naruto says what needs to be said_ _and knows what needs to be known. He is every bit as wily as the fox whose power he draws upon when things get tough. Jiraiya's been around upholding his duties and Naruto has benefited appropriately. I've taken considerable liberties with the world at large, so the geography, politics & etc are new and I think rather original. By far the most powerful AU-verse I've written._

 **= Konoha Blast,** _where Deidara is recruited to Konoha after going rogue and becomes Naruto's mentor and leader of the new Konoha Demolitions Corps!_

 _ **My other stories will be updated soon as well.**_

 _ **Now without further ado, let's get started!**_

Chapter 13 – The Storm

==That Night==

Oby sat on the deck of the _Storm Crow_ watching the stars as the ship rocked gently beneath him. Everyone else had been asleep for a while as he sat there alone with his thoughts. Footsteps suddenly thumped across the deck and Oby looked over his shoulder to see Erza coming to sit down next to him. Erza dangled her legs over the side and then laid back. They sat there in silence for a while and then, "So, we um…could've gone all the way earlier. I would've let you." Oby nodded, his mouth a thin line and not meeting her gaze, "Yes. We could have."

"Why did you stop?" Erza asked after another long stretch of silence, "If you wanted I would've let you do anything! Not that I mind what you did with your magic, that was, _awesome_ , but I, you're my hero, I owe you my life, why..." "No Erza," Oby said in a surprisingly harsh voice that shocked tears into Erza's eyes. Oby hunched over slightly and said in a softer tone, "You don't owe me anything. It's the other way around." Erza blinked and sat forward trying to meet his gaze, only to find his eyes scrunched shut, "What are you talking about? Why would you owe me? You saved me from…"

" _From something that would never have come back into existence if I didn't!_ " Oby spat out, "Do you really think those cult idiots could ever have deciphered those ancient texts? Do you think they could've figured out that the Etherion cannon was the key to making the R-System work and modifying it so that it could absorb the blast?" he demanded, " _Do you have any idea how much suffering has been brought into this world because of what I did?!_ "

He put his head in his hands, "You, Kagura, Simon, Jellal, Eric, Kinana, Sorano, Yukino, Old Grandpa Rob, Sawyer, Macbeth, Richard, Wally, Sho, Milliana, and thousands more! For every person I've saved, I condemned half a dozen more with my actions! My hands are _soaked_ in the blood of innocent people! Hades took years to decipher a single tome, I was able to decipher the Books of Zeref as easily as breathing! Hades might never have figured out how to make the R-System work if not for me and then he wouldn't have coopted that cult to destroy so many lives for the mad ambition I helped him pursue!"

Tears were falling freely now, "Everything that happened to you was my fault," he choked out, "I'm the reason you lost your home, your freedom, your eye… _and I can't even take my own eye out as penance because my magic heals me so damn fast! If I weren't next to immortal I would've died of guilt and shame years ago!_ " Erza stared in shock and horror as Oby hung his head, "You don't owe me anything Erza, not your life, not a shred of affection and certainly not your heart or first time, and monster that I am, I don't have the right to ask those things of anyone."

Then Oby threw his head back and poured the contents of the large bottle that had been on the deck next to him the whole time down his throat. He leaned down and dipped the bottle into the water, filling it up quickly before muttering a spell, draining it again and repeating the process. Erza recognized the enchantment as transformation magic, "Oby, is…is that _wine?_ " Oby hiccupped, "Yeah, among other things Zeref was a wine connoisseur…this is possibly the most benign spell in all of his writings. The demons, demons were…just an attempt to find a way to *hic* find a way for him to die. We didn't find out until after I cracked the design but he's *hic* friggin immortal…" Oby suddenly giggled, "G-get this…Nat-Natsu's PA! Hahaha! _Natsu's his little brother! ZEREF DRAGNEEL! AND I CAN'T TELL ANYONE!_ " Oby howled with laughter and promptly fell off the boat with a splash.

Erza just stared in shock at the spot where he had fallen in. Then Oby's hand shot out of the water and he hauled himself up onto the deck with a little huff, "Don't, don't tell Natsu…Igneel sent him four hundred years into the future for a better life…he shouldn't…shouldn't have that hanging over his head…" Oby looked around blearily, "do you see my bottle?" "It's in your hand," Erza said with no small amount of consternation.

Oby looked at it, "Oh…it is isn't it…" Erza reached over and gently tugged the bottle from his hands, "I think you've had enough." Oby chuckled and flopped over onto his back, "You're probably right, you can have the rest of it if you want…I made it myself, it's really good…" Erza debated for a moment whether or not she should, but given how much everyone else in the guild enjoyed booze…she raised the bottle to her lips and drank deeply. Oby sat up smiling drunkenly and then Erza suddenly backhanded him so hard that he slammed back flat as Erza straddled him and pulled a sword out of thin air with a murderous expression. Oby's smile faded as he felt the comeuppance for his many sins come upon him.

Erza reversed her grip on the sword and slammed the blade into the deck next to Oby's head before leaning down to get right up in his face, "Now you listen to me!" she barked, "I don't ever want to hear you say you are anything less than a hero ever again! Even if it came at the cost of six months in that hellish tower, you saved me and everyone else and brought us all together! You gave me a family when I had none, you helped Ms. Porlyusica restore the eye I lost, you helped me learn magic, you brought my sister back to me, you gave me a home and I don't care who you used to be! Oberon of Grimoire Heart was a monster yes, but he died the day Hades cast him out, and the man who replaced him is Oberon of Fairy Tail! Don't you dare put yourself down over what happened to me, and don't you dare expect me to hate you! Zera already told me everything! She blames herself just as much as you and I chewed her out for it too! You aren't that person anymore! Whatever wrong you've done me you've more than made up for!"

Then she paused, sat up and pulled her sword out of the deck, "Actually…there is one thing you've done wrong that I haven't forgiven you for yet…" Oby's eyes widened in fear of her hating him, "What? Whatever it is I swear I'll do anything to make it up to you!" Erza slammed the sword into the deck again and was right back in his face, " _You blue balled the hell out of me this morning!_ " she said in a dangerous voice. Then a smile crossed her face, "And now since you've already sworn to make it up to me, you are going to age us up, take me downstairs and _finish what you started_."

Four hours later Oby looked over at Erza as her first snores escaped her. He reached over and brushed her hair out of her face with a slight smile, "I love you." He gave her a small kiss and held her close, quickly falling asleep.

==The Next Morning==

Oby sat at the table in the galley happily eating breakfast in his pajamas as a still aged up into her early twenties Erza rummaged through the cabinets in nothing but a robe she had borrowed from Oby. Both were abnormally cheerful for it being so early in the morning (dawn was only just peeking over the horizon) still basking in the afterglow from the night they had shared. To call Oby happy as a clam would be an understatement, he was in love again, and very few things were happier than Oby when he was in love.

So he was infuriatingly sunny when Cana and Gildarts trudged in wearing their pajamas for breakfast. Both of them stopped and stared as they registered the fact that Erza was in adult form and apparently wearing nothing but a robe. Gildarts rubbed his eyes, took another look to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and then turned around and walked out muttering something about thinking pure thoughts.

Cana on the other hand turned and looked at Oby, then back at Erza, then she immediately put two and two together. "DAMMIT!" She barked as she flushed crimson and stomped her foot before rounding on Oby, "AGAIN?! You picked someone else over me _AGAIN?!_ What is so wrong with me that's so right with my sister and Virgo and Erza Oby? Hmm? I met you before any of them, so why haven't you bothered to ask _me_ out?! Am I not good enough for you or something?!"

Oby and Erza blinked and then Erza blushed and stammered, "Oh, r-right, I'm sorry Cana I totally forgot you had dibs on him. You can have him tonight if you want, it was just a little one night stand, I'm sure he wouldn't even have done that with me over you if we hadn't been drunk and I hadn't had a sword to his throat. I can't hold my booze very well I guess. I'll totally back off and let you have him! He's all yours!"

Cana appeared mollified, but before she could say anything, a clap of thunder with the force and volume of a mountain breaking in half rocked the ship and the sound of driving rain suddenly began hammering against the hull. Oby jumped over the table and pushed his way out the door, "Sounds like we're in for a storm, I'd better get up there. You two should go wake everyone, this ride's about to get bumpy."

Before anyone could question him he was gone up the ladder to the deck. As Oby clambered up onto the deck he looked out the windows of the wheelhouse and the color drained from his face as he saw the massive hurricane that had just formed from a perfectly calm and sunny day, the waves already twenty feet high and raging towards the ship. Tears streamed free from his eyes as he dashed to the wheel and prayed to whatever gods would listen to a God Slayer that his enchantments over the ship would hold, "What have I done?"

==Two Hours Later==

"GIIILDAAAAARTS! GET UP HERE!" Oby roared as he strained to steer the ship up the side of a wave that was over twice as tall as the Guild Hall. Just as the wave was about to swamp them, Gildarts' magic erupted out from the hold, blasting the wave apart. Gildarts leapt up onto the deck and quickly began blasting indiscriminately, blowing out the windows of the wheel house and quickly clearing a calm space in the raging storm. Even the rain stopped for a moment.

Gildarts panted slightly as the calm zone immediately started shrinking and the rain started falling again, "Oby! What's going on?! I thought you were a Storm Eater, why haven't you eaten the storm yet?!" "I can't!" Oby snapped. Gildarts turned to him, surprised by the heat in his tone only then did he notice how red and puffy Oby's eyes were. Gildarts stared, he knew that face, it was the face of a broken heart. It was the same face he had worn when he had found out about Cornelia. Then it clicked, "Your magic's affected by your emotions isn't it?"

Oby nodded wearily and wrapped his arms around the wheel before resting his forehead against it breathing heavily, "More than you could imagine. Get, get Levy up here, while there's still time." Gildarts didn't question it he just hopped back down the hatch, completely forgoing the ladder and ran to get Levy. A moment later Levy was climbing out up onto the deck with Gildarts hot on her heels, racing over to lay her hands on Oby's heaving back, "Art of Emotion! Calm! Confidence! Courage! Cheer! Control!" Every word was a punctuated with a flash of light and with every flash Oby stood a little stiller. Just as Gildarts was clambering up onto the deck, Oby started chuckling, then laughing just as the storm was about to overtake them again, "I. **AM**. **OBERON!** " **BOOM**.

There is no sound in the world quite like an entire hurricane collapsing into the ocean all at once. The ship just jumped a little. Gildarts still almost fell down as the deck jumped beneath him. Oby did fall down, first to his knees, then all the way down onto his side, exhausted, pale and shaking. Before Gildarts could say anything Levy had scrambled over and moved Oby's head into her lap, her tiny hands stroking his head and issuing little pulses of calming magic as she cooed, "It's alright big brother, it's alright." Gildarts picked himself up and sat down on the soaking wet deck, "Big brother?"

"Not by blood," Levy clarified, "But that doesn't make him any less my big brother." "And you'll always be my sweet little baby sister," Oby breathed with a faint smile, "Thank you Levy." Gildarts was quiet for a moment at the touching scene and then, "So what happened that screwed up your magic so bad Oby?" Rain immediately started falling again as Oby's face twisted with anguish. A burst of light from Levy directly to his head kept it from becoming any worse than a drizzle though.

Gildarts blinked as he made the connection, "The storm was created by your magic?" "Yes," Oby said quietly, "My magic is almost completely controlled by my emotions. The stronger they are, the more powerful my magic is, and my control over it is only as strong as my control over my emotions. I don't know if you noticed, but when Ultear and I broke up, there was a rain cloud following me around for a month. What happened this morning was worse. I haven't been that blindsided since the day Hades cast me out of Grimoire Heart."

"What happened?" Levy asked quietly as she released another particularly strong pulse of calming magic. "I confessed my sins to Erza last night," Oby said quietly, "I don't know if you know this Gildarts, but I did a lot of horrible things when I was a member of Grimoire Heart. Levy knows because she read my grimoire when I wasn't looking," he cast a not even tenth hearted glare up at her at which she smiled slightly bashfully, "But my greatest fear was always that those I had wronged would find out what I had done to them and their lives and hate me for it. I couldn't bear for my friends to hate me, so when Erza didn't care, didn't blame me at all, even dragged me downstairs and threw me in bed and jumped in after me, well…who could blame me for falling in love?"

Gildarts' eyes widened, he had heard what Erza had said to Cana that morning, "And then she…" "Broke my heart into a million pieces over breakfast?" Oby clarified, "Yeah, that about sums it up." "And that created that storm? You couldn't eat it or calm it because it was your own out of control magic causing it?" Oby nodded, then he looked up at Levy, "Makes me glad I let you keep the knowledge of my magic little sister." He turned his gaze back to Gildarts, "Since Levy knows my magic, even if she's not quite as powerful as me, she's still able to quell my magic on a level nobody else could ever even hope to. She'll keep me from ever venturing back down that awful dark path I was on, and save me and everyone else from me on days like today."

Gildarts nodded, "I see that." He looked at Levy, "That's a very important position he's trusted you with Levy, you should be very proud." Levy nodded with a smile, "I am."

There was a short pause and then Gildarts asked quietly, "So what are you going to do about Erza and Cana?" Levy cut loose a particularly strong flash of calming magic and Oby almost passed out before replying quietly, "Tell Cana I would never dream of slighting her, and I am very sorry if I have given offense. I'll make it up to her by being the best boyfriend I can be if she'll still have me, just, give me until the end of this job. I think we've seen clearly enough that getting me involved in new and potentially unstable relationships is not something to be done on the high seas. When we're back in Magnolia, I'll ask her out as soon as I can get a date worthy of her time pulled together."

Gildarts nodded, "She'll be delighted, and… Erza?" Oby took a deep breath, and then said quietly, "What about her? She's made her position clear that she doesn't wish to have anything further to do with me on a romantic front, that's all there is to it." He sighed, "If you would please relay all of that to those below deck, I'd be grateful. Just, leave out the part about me nearly getting us all drowned and having done awful things as a member of Grimoire Heart." Gildarts nodded and climbed to his feet, "Of course. I'm sure Cana will be delighted." Oby sighed with something bordering on contentment, "Thank you Gildarts. What little control I had I used to push us further towards Kreeg, we should arrive this evening. I'll be back to normal by then, but until then, I'd like a little privacy."

Gildarts nodded, "Right, I'll make sure nobody disturbs you." A moment later he was gone. Levy looked down at Oby, "You still love her don't you?" Oby nodded, "Yeah, but I'll be alright. I've got until we get back to Magnolia to sort myself out after all," he smirked slightly, "And you know as well as I do that's all the time I could ever need." Levy smiled, "You and your Arc of Time. You should be more careful how you use it. People might start to think you don't care." Oby smiled, "If they could ever even begin to think that, then they don't know me at all."


	14. Chapter 14: Shock

Chapter 14 – Shock

==That Evening==

Oby exhaled slowly as he brought himself the last little bit back under control, but he allowed the rain to continue drizzling as he guided the ship into port. He flipped up his hood and looked over his shoulder at his guildmates, all dressed in rain clothes and smiled thinly, "Alright, I'm going to age everybody up for this meeting. There's no need to let our clients underestimate us. Everybody ready?" Oby and Erza were still in adult form from the night before, but now Oby snapped his fingers and all of his guildmates except Gildarts aged five years near instantly.

Oby frowned as a depression cloud formed over Gildarts' head, "Problem Gildarts?" "Obyyyyy!" Gildarts whined, "I wasn't ready to see my baby girl all grown up!" Oby patted him on the shoulder, "Consider it exposure therapy, she'll only be this age for a little while and then right back to her normal self, and now when she eventually is sixteen for real, you'll have already seen it and it won't rattle you as badly." Gildarts thought about that and then nodded slightly, "Ok." Then he glanced at Cana and almost had a breakdown.

Oby sighed, "Levy? Will you please calm him down?" Levy smiled and laid a hand on Gildarts' shoulder, "Calm and pride!" A flash of light later and Gildarts was fine. Oby sighed with a slight smile, "Okay, if we're all good, then let's move. The royal palace is up there on the hill overlooking the city."

He took off, sure in the knowledge that his friends were close behind him. The wizards of Fairy Tail looked around as they walked and drank in the sights. The streets were narrow and lined with cobblestones, not that different from Magnolia except for feeling more squashed together. The city felt withdrawn and closed as the cool rain drizzled down, but it was easy to tell when they made it to one of the city's many squares that it was normally a thriving bustling place. With Oby in front, nobody noticed his gaze twisting towards the forlorn the more he saw. When he stopped though, they noticed. He stopped quite suddenly and walked over to a store window.

He gently laid a hand on the window and looked through it for a moment. The others frowned at him in confusion and then Levy stepped forward, "Big bro? What's the matter?" "I had one just like that when I was a child," Oby told her quietly. Levy looked and was surprised to see he was staring at a small stuffed bear. Oby shook himself, "It's nothing, come on." He walked away quickly, not bothering to check if the others were following.

Erza looked at Levy, "Does he get like this often?" Levy shook her head, "I've only seen him get…" She became aware of a timestop and frowned as she pushed her way into it. She sighed as she saw Oby had walked back to the toy shop window and was still staring at the bear with his eyes watering. Levy walked over, "Oby, are you sure you're okay?"

Oby shook his head slightly, "No. I haven't been back to this part of the world in over ten years. It's…I'm seeing a lot that reminds me of my family." Levy raised a glowing hand in concern, "Do you want me to…" Oby shook his head, "No. I need to work on my emotional control and stop relying on magic to bring myself back under control. It's not fair to you for me to rely on it so much, and it's utterly cowardly and pathetic of me to have to. Thank you Levy, but not this time."

Levy nodded, "Okay, well, take all the time you need, I guess…" Oby nodded, "I'll be along before they know it." Levy dropped back out of the time stop and restarted her sentence, she hadn't gotten the hang of dropping right back into a conversation after a timestop as if she'd never left it the way Oby did, "I've only seen him get like this a few times. He's feeling nostaligic and sad because he's remembering his family. He'll get over it, he's just sad. He went into a timestop so as not to hold us up while he deals with it."

Erza and Cana looked at her with concern. "Does he go into timestops like that often?" Cana asked. Levy nodded, "He does it whenever anything upsets him. I can sort of tell how long he spends in them if I push my way into them. He doesn't bring time to a full stop because that triggers his timer to reuse his powers, he just slows it down enough that he can spend a year in a minute. The worst I've ever seen him was when Ultear dumped him. Immediately after it happened he walked around the corner and spent five years worth of time getting over it."

Erza and Cana stared, "Didn't he spend like two months after that being gloomy anyway?" Cana asked in concern. Levy nodded, "Yeah. He came out of it before he was completely over it because he was using too much power. Virgo was the one who finally snapped him out of it. He's been spending at least a day or two's worth of time kicking himself for the things he did as a member of Grimoire Heart on a weekly if not daily basis for years. I don't know how long he's been doing this, but he's been doing it at least as long as I've known him."

Erza and Cana looked at the spot where Oby had been, "God, that would have to add up to a couple of decades by now wouldn't it? What did he do that was so bad that he'd spend that much time beating himself up over it?" Cana asked with a frown. Then she remembered what she had seen in the Courage Tower of the S-Class Trial with Ultear, the monster Oby had been so close to becoming and flinched as realization of just how bad the things Oby might've done could be, "Oh…Never mind."

Levy looked at Cana with worry, "Please don't look like that! He's not like that anymore! He hates who he was and he'd never ever go back to being that guy!" Cana nodded, but the look on her face didn't change, "I know, I just, hadn't really thought about it. He used to be pretty bad right?"

Oby choked on a disbelieving laugh as he dropped back into the timestream next to her, " _Pretty bad?!_ I was on the level with the demons from the Books of Zeref! Have you ever met Kyo..." he stopped himself and shook his head, "never mind, you never have and I hope none of you ever do. Sadistic crazy bitch…" he grumbled as he strode off, "Still can't feel my freakin' nose…" Those paying the closest attention could hear him grin, "But I bet she never broke that speckle hex I put on her!"

Cana caught up to him, "Hang on, you've actually met demons from the Book of Zeref? Other than that one you killed to save Mom and Ultear and Gray and Lyon in Brago?" Oby nodded stiffly, "The dark guild Tartaros is nothing _but_ demons from the Books of Zeref. Master Hades brokered a treaty with them, the Seven Kin of Purgatory, myself included at the time and Tartaros's Nine Demon Gates, the two guilds' equivalents of our S-Class, were in attendance. Kyoka's their leaders' right hand demon. Nasty piece of work, crazy, sadistic and strong enough that I wouldn't take her lightly even now. Her girlfriend Seilah was alright for one of Zeref's demons. Probably the second most reasonable of the ones I've met. She just wanted to be entertained. Bit snobby though. Humans don't make good stories my butt…She'd _flip_ if she ever got a hold of my grimoire…" he grumbled darkly to himself.

He looked over his shoulder at Cana with a forlorn and slightly irritated look in his eye, "Come on, I used to be a bad guy. I hung out with bad people. I don't know why you act like this surprises you given what you saw during the S-Class trial." Cana stared at him in horror, "That was really you?" Oby adjusted his lapel and exhaled, his breath steaming as the temperature plummeted with the change in his mood, "It was a could have been. If Hades hadn't decided to try to kill me, it would have been."

Levy sighed as Oby blinked out of the time stream again, "Did you have to look at him like that Cana? Now he's moping again." Cana looked at her incredulously, and a little indignantly " _He's_ moping? I find out the guy I've had a crush on and looked up to since I was a little girl used to hang with demons, _actual demons_ , and _he's_ the one moping?"

"Do you have any idea how much our opinion matters to him?!" Levy demanded, "He can barely stand to live with the guilt of who he was! Our approval is all he lives for! You think he goes out of his way to be heroic and nice and the best person he can possibly be for fun? He does it because he wants us, wants _you_ and me and everybody else in Fairy Tail to like him so that when he drops out of time like this to hate the person he was and still can't quite tell himself he's not, he can tell himself he still has somebody that cares about him! If we hated him for who he used to be, he'd die! He'd die a slow horrible death just letting the misery and guilt freeze him to death from the inside out! He would already be dead if Makarov hadn't brought him to us! That's what his Lost Magic does! It makes his body reflect his spirit! He's constantly trying to hide the storm of hurt in his heart from us by dropping out of time every time he feels it start to act up because he doesn't want us to feel sad or have to burden ourselves with cheering him up!"

Cana was quite indignant at being chewed out and shouted back, " _He's hurting?!_ What about all the people he's hurt?! Huh?! Him and his demon buddies?! If he used to be so buddy buddy with them, then how do we know he's not still? He's smart enough to fool everybody, but I saw what he's really like during the S-Class trials! For all we know he could be a demon himself! Consider that date I wanted cancelled! I don't want anything to do with him!"

Thunder clapped overhead so loudly it nearly blew out the windows and Cana saw a horrified and furious light in Levy's eyes just before Levy slapped her, " _He can hear you._ " Then the wind started howling. "All of you get to shelter!" Levy yelled over the wind, "I'm going to find Oby and see if I can calm him down!"

Levy stormed off down the street, a stormy aura of her own brewing and keeping the wind from blowing her away as it was threatening to do to everyone else. Cana watched her go, her eyes wide as she realized what she had done. Erza punched her in the shoulder hard enough to make her stagger, "Good job. You just alienated our strongest wizard." Gildarts stared in the direction Levy had gone off in and then collected the others, "Come on kids, I think I saw an inn a few streets back." Erza turned and followed him, leaving Cana standing in the road staring until Erza came back, caught her by the hand and pulled her along.

==Twenty Minutes Later==

Levy huffed irritably as she stormed up the front steps to the palace, "Stupid idiot, he should know he's not in any condition to talk to people reasonably right now." The storm hadn't let up in the slightest, meaning Oby was still just as upset as he had been when he had taken off. She found him sitting on the top step in a time distortion between the two guards that had taken shelter in the recess of the stone outer wall. One of the guards motioned her closer to ask who she was and why she was there, but Levy just raised a finger to indicate that she needed a minute. She crossed her arms and looked at Oby, "Oby, I know you're upset, but you need to calm down. You're going to bring the whole city down at this rate. I've already eaten as much of the storm as I can, but I only managed to get it away from the area down by the harbor, and the rain crept back in before I was even done!"

Oby nodded silently and blew his nose into a handkerchief, "You're right." He stood up and glared out at the storm raging over the city as he allowed his time distortion bubble to drop. He raised his hands and then slammed them together, " _ENOUGH!"_ The thunder, lightning and wind all stopped after one last massive world shaking BOOM of thunder, leaving only a steady downpour. "There's nothing I can do about the rain you know," he told Levy quietly, "But I think I've recovered enough to keep it down to just rain."

Levy smiled up at her big brother sadly, "You've really got to stop talking yourself into love. It'll make disappointments like this easier." Oby smiled thinly from beneath the deep hood of his cloak, "I can only hope not to be disappointed like this ever again. I had the highest hopes for a relationship with her." Levy hugged him, "I know Oby, I know." Then she smiled up at him as she stepped back, "but Sorano and Mirajane have still got it bad for you, why don't you try one of them when we get back?" Oby smiled a genuine smile and the rain lessened to a drizzle, "Yeah. I think I'll do that. I think I know why Cana said all that now."

Levy frowned up at him, "Having out of control teenage hormones dropped on her out of nowhere is no excuse! She was still being absolutely horrible to you, whether you could hear her or not, she shouldn't have said those things! Don't forget I know who helped her find the courage to tell Gildarts he was her father, and I know she would've taken a decade of misery to do it if you hadn't. She owes you her family, she could at least give you the benefit of a doubt." Now _Levy_ was the one making thunder rumble overhead.

Oby smiled gently, "It's alright Levy, calm down. After the absolute _mauling_ I gave her and Ultear and Jellal and Simon in the S-Class Trials, on top of what she saw in the Courage Tower and the out of control hormones thing, I'm honestly not surprised she said those things anymore. It makes a painful kind of sense now," he added as he looked away, "but even still, it's not worth getting worked up about. Come on, we should let the clients know we're here. Can I let you do the talking? I'm still not up to a hundred percent, and you're a better people person." Levy nodded, "Of course."

Levy hurried over to the guards as Oby eyed the storm carefully to make sure it didn't kick back up, "Hi! Um, we're here to see Archduke Stratford? Our guild received a distress call some time ago, we've only just been able to respond." She accompanied it with a winning smile and the flier pulled from beneath her rain cloak. The guard took the flier and looked it over carefully, "This is certainly the archduke's signature, but I'm afraid you're too late to see him miss, he died four years ago after his only child was taken by the Sonimites."

Levy frowned, "Well is there anyone who _can_ see us? We've traveled all the way from Fiore in the greatest haste possible to get here!" The guards swapped a glance and then the first one nodded, "If you and your friend will follow me please, I will take you to the Viscount. He has been minding much of the affairs left untended in wake of the Archduke's death." Levy looked over her shoulder and saw Oby turn and follow.

They were led across a vast entry hall with a soaring arched ceiling, red velvet rugs and high stained glass windows currently dark thanks to the rain, and then they turned down a side passage. The side passage was still impressively decorated, clearly the Kreegan royal family was not destitute, but the smaller passage felt almost tunnel like. That is, until they walked out onto a small covered bridge across to one of the towers. The bridge columns were overgrown with flowering plants and Levy noticed numerous hummingbirds nesting in them as they took shelter from the rain. Levy made a mental note to come back one day when it wasn't raining and watch the adorable little birds.

Then her attention was completely diverted by the massive library they were led into. She stopped cold, "BOOKS!" The guard turned to look at her in confusion, "Ah, yes, the viscount conducts most of his business from the palace library. It has rather become his office as it were since he and his family were originally the palace librarians before discovering their relation to the late Archduke." Oby guided Levy forward with a gentle smile, "Please forgive my sister, she is a great book lover. The sight of so many all at once is like walking into a little slice of heaven for her."

"That is a good trait in a child," someone declared from a chair by the fireplace. The guard whirled, "Oh there you are Lord Viscount sir! I didn't see you there!" The Viscount waved a hand around the back of his chair, "Oh that's hardly surpising, I was facing away from you after all. Who are our guests?" "We're wizards from the Fairy Tail Wizard Guild," Levy replied as she regained her focus, "we received a request for help a few years ago, but we've only recently grown strong enough to be of assistance. We came as quick as we could."

"Ah, the Sonimites," the viscount mused, flapping his hand as though to shoo the two wizards away, "Yes. We have no further need of your services, the issue has been resolved." Levy frowned and then her eyes glowed slightly as she looked into the past, "You're lying. They're still taking your children, and shame on you! Your own child is set to be sacrificed in a week!" The viscount flinched ever so slightly, "Yes, well, it's not like anything can be done about it. We have come to terms with it. It's just one of those things that can't be helped."

An eruption of thunder shook the building as Levy's face turned red. She stormed over to the viscount, "NOW YOU LOOK HERE! WE CAME ALL THE WAY FROM FIORE TO HELP YOU, YOU ARE NOT TURNING US BACK NOW!" Oby quickly caught up to her and laid a hand on her shoulder, "Easy Levy. He's testing us. For all he knows, we could be Sonimite spies. Isn't that right Lord Viscount?"

The viscount had a small smile in his voice, "That is correct. You are slyer than your younger sister sir." "I've had a lot more time to get that way Lord Viscount," Oby replied, "Tell me, how may we persuade you that we truly mean to help? It is our policy to never demand payment until after a job is done, you don't have to pay us until after the job is done." "Oh we certainly wouldn't," the viscount replied, "you could easily sail off with the money and never be seen again. No if we were going to pay you to fix that problem we don't have, we would certainly wait until after you delivered on such an impossible promise."

Oby nodded, "That is sensible. However you still have not answered my question. What must we do to prove our intentions to you?" "Why should I even tell you?" the viscount asked dismissively, "You have yet to even tell me your names!" "I'm Levy McGarden and this is my big brother Oby!" Levy said quickly. There was an immediate silence and then the viscount said quietly, "Get out."

Levy frowned angrily, "What?! We just told you our names and you reply with "get out"?! You could at least have the decency to tell us your own name!" "My name is none of your concern," the viscount declared, "Now GET OUT!" Just as Levy opened her mouth to say something, Oby laid a hand on her shoulder, "Take it easy Levy. He's clearly reacted negatively to our names. My guess is he lost somebody with a similar name and hearing that name again hurts him. So which one of us was it Lord Viscount? My sister or me?"

"You. Now for the final time, GET OUT," the viscount snapped. Oby smirked slightly, "I had a hunch it was. You've had a lot more children since the last time I saw you. I'm sure the pain had lessened for you over time and been reopened fresh and raw as ever now that you've heard your eldest son's name again. Rest assured, you will lose no more children while there is breath left in my body. We'll be back after we've dealt with the Sonimites. Let's go Levy."

Levy shot him a glance and then quickly followed him out, aware in a way that she couldn't explain that something was up. Oby led her back through the palace quickly and as soon as they were outside, he ran down the steps, taking them four at a time and leaping the last ten before taking off at a sprint. Levy ran after him, "OBYYY! WAIT UP!"

Oby stopped a few blocks away and propped against a wall. Levy paused next to him huffing, "What was that all about?" "Levy?" Oby panted, "Did you notice, that his hair, and yours, are the exact same shade?" Levy blinked and then pulled one of her bangs up to look at, "Wow, really? I didn't notice at all!" "I did," Oby panted, "The same way I noticed the first day I met you. That's why I started viewing you as my little sister so quickly and wasn't a tenth as upset as I should've been that you read my grimoire." Levy frowned, "You took a liking to me because of my hair?"

Oby raised a hand to his hood, "Levy, you remember that my home was destroyed by Deliora right? Have you ever seen a full-on demon attack up close and personal? When there's nothing even remotely possible for you to do about it? It scared my hair white and it's been that way ever since." Oby shakily pushed his hood back to reveal he had cast an illusion to make his hair to the same shade of blue as Levy and the viscount's, "This is my natural color, the same as my twin sister, and my father."

Levy could see his eyes now and tell he was seriously freaked out, he looked more shaken up than when he had caught her reading his grimoire, and that had terrified him. Then the ever so rapid gears in her mind started whirling, "How did you know it was his eldest son he had lost?" Levy asked, as all the pieces slammed into place to form a shocking picture. "That was my father," Oby said quietly as the shocked tears finally broke loose and a smile spread across his face, "My family is alive!"

 **AN:** _For those wondering, yes, Cana's little outburst in this chapter was almost entirely the result of having a full blast of teenage hormones dropped on her out of nowhere and no she didn't mean any of it. Next chapter we'll be delving into what the Flying Dragon Squadron, Thunder Legion and Strauss Siblings are up to before we get back to Oby & Co._


	15. Chapter 15: That OH SHIT! Moment

**AN: Hey everybody, Ghost here, sorry for the long wait between chapters. I was waiting for the manga to end so that if there were anymore moments like the real identities of those two of the Spriggan 12 (if you've read the manga you can probably guess which two I'm talking about) I'd know about them** ** _before_** **I made anymore plans, because the revelation of who those two were threw about half my plans at the time straight out the window. So, now that it's over, I am both sad and elated because I can finally get on with this story and not keep you all waiting anymore. I've got a new plan and these next few chapters will set it into motion! I do hope you enjoy this new unexpected direction the story will be taking and if you do please leave a review, they make writing so much more fun for me and make me want to write more chapters sooner.**

 **Without further rambling, I give you** ** _Fairy Tail: Oberon, Chapter 15, That "Oh SHIT!" moment._**

Chapter 15 – That "Oh SHIT!" Moment

==Meanwhile==

Laxus sighed as he observed the young white haired girl with the malicious aura around her riding at the head of the group. Mirajane had in the last forty eight hours picked a fight with every member of the Thunder Legion and Flying Dragon Squadron except for Lisanna and summarily _dismantled_ everyone who rose to the challenge without even accessing her Takeover Magic. Unfortunately, that was everyone except him. The girl had a serious talent for riling people up, and even more of a talent for beating them down.

Laxus frowned, _What would you do Gramps?_ He thought about it, _The old geezer would probably sit her down, have a talk with her and somehow do that thing he does where he makes everybody love him. I really need to get him to teach me how to do that._ His mouth tightened, _But if I don't do something soon, my crew might not survive this trip with her…_

"The sun's going down and there's an inn not far from here, let's try to make it there before that rain gets here," he called as he noted the clouds on the horizon. _That looks like something Oby'd cook up…_ he thought grimly as he eyed the dark clouds peeking over the distant mountaintops.

Then Mirajane called over her shoulder smugly, "What's the matter? Is the big bad dwagon swayer afwaid of a wittle wain?" Laxus growled, _definitely need to do something about her. If I don't she might not survive the trip with ME._

==Two Hours Later==

The inn wasn't a terribly large affair, it was a simple two story building built of lumber and stone. It had a restaurant/bar in the bottom, guest rooms on the second floor, stables on the right side of the building where the Fairy Tail wizards' horses were bedded down, and a small onsen in the back. The inn keeper was a rotund man with a bushy mustache and a large smile, anxiously hurrying them inside as the wind picked up and the dragon slayers all paused as they noted a faint hint of vanilla on the air, the same scent Oby's magic had.

As the storm raged outside, Natsu sat on the bed flinching and wincing as Kinana applied ointment to the massive bruise on his forehead where Mirajane had knocked him for a loop. "Man Lisanna," he groaned, "Why is your big sister so mean? You and Elfman are totally nice, what happened with her? The only people she's nice to are you two and Oby and Levy! And she's only nice to Levy because she's scared of making Oby mad!"

"I don't know!" Lisanna exclaimed sadly, "She didn't used to be like this!" "She used to be the nicest person around," Elfman mumbled into his pillow, "she didn't turn all nasty until after we joined Fairy Tail. Maybe something happened?" "It's probably her Takeover Magic," Eric grumbled, "How often do you have to turn into something before you actually become it?" Kinana smacked him gently in the shoulder, "That's mean Eric. Mirajane's not a demon and you know it. Her smell is still entirely human until she transforms."

"Are you sure?" Natsu asked, "She always smells the same to me." "Demon or human," Evergreen declared, "She's scary." "Intimidation is certainly her forte," Freed agreed before adding irritably, "That and irritation." "Meanie Mira," Bickslow declared from under his little helmet.

Laxus rose from where he had until then been sitting silently on the bed, "Meanie Mira was standing right outside the door just now and heard everything. She just took off fighting back tears," he declared solemnly to the unified flinches of the entire room. Laxus went to the door, "You guys stay here, I'm going to go talk to her." There was an immediate chorus of protests which Laxus dispelled with a faint crackling of electricity through his hair, "I said, _stay. Here."_ Then he added in a gentler tone, _"_ I'll handle it, alright? Don't worry." Lisanna nodded reluctantly and Laxus nodded back before stepping out into the hallway and following Mira's scent downstairs.

He found her sitting alone at a table in a corner glaring at her drink with watery eyes. She glanced up at him angrily as he walked up, "What do you want? Come to gloat?" Laxus pulled out a chair and sat down across from her, "About what?" "Don't play dumb," Mirajane snarled, "Everyone likes you better than me and you know it." Laxus raised an eyebrow, "Really? And here I was under the impression that everybody wanted to smack the grin off my face."

Mira snorted, "Oh I'm with ya on that one, but you know full well you and Oby are the most popular wizards in the guild. Everybody loves you two," she grumbled. Laxus frowned as he heard her think, _and everybody hates me._

"That's not the real issue though is it?" Laxus asked quietly, causing Mira's head to snap up with a warning light in her eyes. "You're upset because you think that everyone else thinks your magic makes you a demon, predestining you to be unliked because nobody else understands that your magic doesn't affect your personality at all," Laxus declared bluntly.

Mirajane's eyes widened in shock before narrowing again, "Stupid mind reading dragon slayer, get out of my head!" Laxus shook his head, "Couldn't if I wanted to. Just like you can't change your Takeover Magic, I can't change my dragon slayer abilities. Now that we've learned how to hear people's thoughts, we can't help but do it if we're not distracted. How do you think _that_ makes people view us? They can never have any privacy around us because we can hear their thoughts. You think _that_ makes us any better liked? People get just as nervous around us as they do you."

Mirajane stared for a moment and then looked away, "No they don't. Dragons aren't demons." Laxus sighed, "And you are neither. Trust me, I can think of at least eight people who smell decidedly less human than you do just in our guild. There's a teeny hint of what I guess is demon smell on you from your magic, but it's nothing compared to the way any dragon slayer stinks like dragon, and don't even get me started on how nuts Oby and Levy's smell is. That smell is forty times stronger on Levy than you with I don't even begin to know what else that is in her scent, for all I know that could be what gods smell like since she's a God Slayer like Oby. Oby doesn't smell even the least bit human. The smell that comes off your Satan Soul is a tiny fraction of what oozes out of every pore on Oby," Laxus added, "I'd about bet money that he's not human. You know what though?"

"What?" Mirajane growled, not liking at all where this conversation had led. "I don't care," Laxus stated simply.

Mirajane blinked, "huh?" Laxus frowned at her, "Does it matter to you if Oby's human or not? It doesn't matter to me. What do I care if Levy smells like demon and who knows what? She and Oby are still my friends. It's not _what_ you are that defines you Mira, it's who you choose to be. If you run around terrorizing people, they're going to be scared of you, and not like you, and think the very worst of you. If you try to be nice though, people will most likely try to be nice back. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure you really get what Fairy Tail is," he added bluntly.

"What are you talking about?" Mirajane asked irritably, "it's a _guild_." Laxus nodded, "And just the way you say that tells me you don't get it at all. Fairy Tail isn't just a guild, it's a family. Everyone in Fairy Tail is supposed to be just as much your family as Lisanna and Elfman, and if you let them, they will be."

Mirajane blinked and took pause, then she huffed and looked away, "Not like anyone's ever going to like me as much as Erza." "Gaaah!" Laxus groaned as he banged his head into the table.

==Meanwhile, Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild Hall==

Makarov sat on the bar with a beer mug in hand, frowning and lost in deep thought. Wakaba sat down at the bar next to him, "What on your mind master? Ya look to be thinkin' mighty hard there!"

Makarov frowned as he nodded, "Yes, I can't help but feel there's something I'm missing. Something important. I don't know why but I feel like it's got something to do with Grimoire Heart."

Wakaba frowned, Grimoire Heart may have essentially claimed Fairy Tail as its sister guild upon being officially recognized, but there were many who were still ever so slightly wary because they were aware that it had been a dark guild, and any guild that could churn out a wizard as powerful as Oby was a force to be reckoned with in the books of anyone who knew him. "So what do you think it is?" Wakaba asked.

Makarov furrowed his brow, "Their Guild Master Zera, something's not adding up." "You mean Erza's twin right?" Wakaba clarified. Makarov nodded, "Yes that's the one. Does it strike you as odd that they look nothing alike?" Wakaba shrugged, "Maybe they're fraternal twins?" Makarov frowned, "Maybe, but the man they claimed was their father was much too old to be having children."

"So…maybe he wasn't really their pop?" Wakaba said thoughtfully, "But then why would they call him their dad if he wasn't? I mean I know Guild Masters are parents to their guild and all, but…" Makarov nodded, "Yes, I feel like I'm definitely missing something…" Then his head snapped up, "Wait a minute…Do we still have that picture album from the party where we celebrated their being accepted by the Council as an official guild with them?"

Wakaba nodded, "Yeah, you want me to go get it?" Makarov nodded as his mind started to race, "Yes, I think it may clear this up, but if I'm right it may only make it even more of a mystery. You go get that, I'm going to go retrieve an old photo album of my own."

==Meanwhile, Heartfilia Manor==

Ultear stood on the porch examining the heavy storm clouds overhead with a frown as the rain poured down. Ur walked out, "Is something wrong? You've been staring at the sky for over ten minutes."

Ultear's gaze didn't waver, "Can't you smell it? This storm is being made by magic, and it smells like Oby's." Ur blinked and then looked up as her brow furrowed at the scent of vanilla she could easily detect on the breeze now that it had been pointed out to her, "It does have that smell doesn't it? Isn't he supposed to be in Magnolia though? Why would he make a storm so big that we could feel its effects here?"

"He wouldn't," Ultear replied, "Not unless he wasn't doing it intentionally. Someone or something must have him really torn up for his magic to be doing this."

"What do you mean torn up? Is he okay?" Sorano asked as she walked in. Ultear flicked a glance over at her for a second, "No, he's probably not. His magic responds to his emotions, if he's sad it rains around him, if he's upset it makes a nasty wind and there's thunder and lightning when he's angry. I can barely even imagine an enemy strong enough for him to bring out this much power, so it's got to be that his emotions are out of whack. To make a storm big enough for us to feel it here from wherever he is, he must be utterly heartbroken. Remember when I broke up with him?"

Sorano winced, "Yeah, he had that rain cloud following him around for over a month, and it stormed hard everyday for a week. Didn't he leave town to keep from flooding the lake?"

Ultear nodded, "Yes, and I felt awful about it. I don't know what's got him so torn up now, I had thought he was single at the moment. Unless something happened to Virgo or something really bad happened at the guild, I guess he must've had a secret girlfriend we didn't know about."

Sorano gave vent to a small irritated sigh, "Probably the secret girlfriend thing. He would never let anything happen to anyone in the guild, and you know how much he loves Virgo." Ultear blinked and then shot a sly smile at Sorano, "Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?"

Sorano blinked and then blushed, "N-no! I just…" She glanced away, "Maybe." Ultear smiled, "It's okay, he's an easy guy to want. I think everyone does just a little bit. Heroes are like that, even big goofballs like him who insist that they aren't heroes."

Sorano frowned, "What? What do you mean he doesn't think he's a hero?" Ultear blushed slightly and quickly looked back up at the sky, "Um, nothing, nothing." Sorano stepped forward, "Oh no no no, _what?_ " Ultear glanced at her friend nervously, "Ah well, you know how Grimoire Heart used to be a dark guild before Zera took over? Oby did a lot of bad things then. They all did really. He's been trying like crazy to make up for it ever since he left them."

Sorano's frown deepened, "What sort of bad things?" "The sort of things he doesn't want anybody to ever find out about!" Ultear snapped, "Just because I'm not dating him anymore doesn't mean I'm just going to go spilling his secrets to the people he wants them kept fro…" She immediately clamped her hand over her mouth with wide eyes.

Sorano's frown turned stony, "What?" "Nothing!" Ultear said quickly while pointedly looking away and trying to look innocent, "Forget I said anything!" "Ultear…" Sorano said in a warning voice, " _What?_ " "Heee…" Ultear started and then sighed, "He's got a big crush on you and doesn't want you to think badly of him. Of all the girls in the guild he likes me, you, Erza and Mirajane the most. He likes Cana too but doesn't really see her that way. I mean he'd go out with her in a heartbeat, but he wouldn't actively pursue her. Don't tell her I said that, she'd be crushed."

"I won't say a word!" Sorano replied with a grin as her heart fluttered. Ultear sighed and continued, "Anyway…like I said, he did a lot of bad things and he doesn't want you or Erza or Mirajane to know about them. He didn't want _me_ to find out, but once I learned Time Magic, well, I was curious. Now that I know, I agree, you don't need or _want_ to know what he used to be like. So please, don't tell him you know he ever did anything bad, and _especially_ don't tell him I mentioned he's got a crush on you." "Not one peep!" Sorano answered cheerfully, _I'm just gonna jump his bones the very next time I see him!_

Ultear deadpanned at her, "You just decided to jump his bones the very next time you see him didn't you?" Sorano immediately blushed so red her hair almost turned pink, "NO!"

==Meanwhile, Kreeg==

Oby sat bolt upright at the table he and the rest of the Kreeg team were sitting around from where he had been hunched over his mug, "Why do I suddenly feel like something I did is about to come back and bite me in the ass?"

==Meanwhile, with the Flying Dragon Squadron==

Laxus and Mirajane jumped slightly as the door to the tavern was kicked open and someone yelled, "HEY INNKEEPER! I NEED TWO ROOMS FOR THE NIGHT!"

Just as Laxus was looking over his shoulder he went pale as he heard Mirajane cackle. The boy who was yelling was stockily built with spiky shoulder length black hair and red eyes as he stomped in out of the rain. He paused and sniffed as he heard Mirajane's cackle and then he whirled to lock eyes with her as a vicious grin flashed across his face.

"Black Steel Gajeel!" Mirajane called, "How long has it been since I kicked your ass?!" "Mirajane the She-Devil!" Gajeel exclaimed delightedly, "Right when I needed something to punch!" Then he was suddenly whacked over the head with an umbrella as a serious looking girl with long curly dark blue hair gave him a level look, "Behave Gajeel. We need rooms and we won't get them if you and Mirajane start a fight the instant we arrive. Juvia can only drink so much of this storm so we're going to be miserable if we have to spend the night outside."

Gajeel covered his head where she had whacked him, "ELENA YOU BI-" He was cut off by his head being encased in a block of ice. Elena casually brushed a bit of excess water off her coat and didn't even pay attention as Mirajane leapt across the room and punched the ice apart, flattening Gajeel in the process. While Mirajane and Gajeel began wrestling and rolling around in the floor, biting kicking and punching fiercely, Elena strode over to the innkeeper and began negotiating for their stay for the night.

As she did Laxus was staring, _Dragon Slayers?_ Then another girl with blue hair, this one slightly shorter, much perkier and completely dry bounced in through the door with a big smile. She paused as she saw Gajeel and Mirajane roll by in a ball of angrily flailing limbs, looked around for Elena and upon seeing she was busy started looking around and sniffing.

Juvia frowned as she looked at the three occupants of the room she didn't know, then she walked over to Laxus, "Hello, I'm Juvia Lockser of Phantom Lord. Are you a Dragon Slayer?" Laxus nodded, "Laxus Dreyer of Fairy Tail, I'm a Lightning Dragon Slayer. What kind are you?" Juvia smiled, "I'm a Water Dragon Slayer! My cousin Ellie's an Ice Dragon Slayer, and Gajeel's an Iron Dragon Slayer! Are you one of Lisanna's friends?"

Laxus nodded, "Yeah, she's upstairs right now. I'm guessing you two know each other?" Juvia nodded, "Yeah, we run into each other all the time! Mirajane and Gajeel always fight, Ellie and Elfman talk and Lisanna and I are best friends!" Then her eyes lit up, "Ooh! Is the rest of the Flying Dragon Squadron here?! I've wanted to meet them for ages!" Laxus smiled, "Yeah, we're all here tonight. We're on a little mission with my other team the Thunder Legion."

Just as Juvia was about to respond she suddenly exploded in a splash of water as Gajeel was sent flying through her. "Sorry Juvia!" Mirajane called as she dashed past in hot pursuit of her opponent. Juvia reformed immediately and called, "It's okay! Hang in there Gajeel!"

Laxus sighed as he watched the beatdown in progress, "Well, it's nice to know that Mirajane beats up _everybody_ and not just her guildmates. Lisanna Elfman Oby and Levy are the only people close to our age I've ever seen her _not_ try to pulverize." "She doesn't try against me," Juvia said with a smile, "Her Sea Devil Slayer magic doesn't work on me since we're the same element, and she knows Ellie would get in on any fight she tried to start, and Ellie's really strong too. Gajeel though…" she added with a small smile as Gajeel was sent flying across the room, "He can't resist a challenge."

Laxus smiled, "He shouldn't feel too bad about that, outside of Fairy Tail's S-Class only Erza and Cana can really throw down with Mirajane. Any of the S-Class could, but we try not to get into petty squabbles like that. We're supposed to be an example for the younger members you know?" Juvia nodded, "That's what Granny Reyna says about the Element Four. She's super strict, but everybody respects her, so I guess she must be right! Hello! Are you a Dragon Slayer too?"

The tall beautiful woman with the long red hair and daringly revealing outfit smiled, "Yes actually I am. I'm also very curious," she turned to Laxus, "Young man, did I just hear you say the name Erza?" Laxus looked up at her and then his eyes bugged out, "Oh…"

==Kreeg==

"…SHIT!" Oby yelled as his eyes snapped open from where he had been searching the timestream and he fell off his seat backward in shock and horror, "ERZA COME HERE! WE GOTTA GO! RIGHT NOW!"

Erza blinked, "What?" Then Oby seemed to teleport and grab her shoulder, "No time to explain! Come on!" "You're a _TIME WIZARD! How do you not have time to explain?!_ " Erza protested as she was dragged away at high speed with her cake still in hand.

==Magnolia==

Makarov stared in shock as he looked at the two pictures side by side, "There's no doubt about it…" Wakaba was also staring, "So Master, who is that girl?" "That Wakaba is our first master, Mavis Vermillion," Makarov answered tensely, "Where is Warren? We need to contact Grimoire Heart at once!" "I'll go get him," Wakaba declared before racing off.

==Two Minutes Later, With The Flying Dragon Squadron==

There was a flash of color and movement and Laxus blinked as Erza suddenly appeared. Then he realized Oby was hanging from the ceiling looking more nervous than anyone who knew him could remember ever having seen him, "Y-your highness if you'll just let me explain…" "YOU!" Irene shrieked as her eyes lit upon him. Then she conjured a fireball and launched it at Oby. He dodged easily and left a sphere of water in his place to snuff out the fire ball. Mirajane and Gajeel actually stopped fighting to watch Oby flash all around the room as the red-haired woman continued for a good ten minutes trying to variously incinerate, freeze, melt, impale, shred and nobody was quite sure what those other bolts of magic would do but judging by how desperate Oby seemed not to get hit by them they probably weren't good for him.

Finally the red-haired woman pounced and pinned him to the wall by the throat with a long forked staff. She easily raised him off the floor with one hand and asked in a voice that spoke of horrible murder if she didn't get what she wanted, "Where. Is. My. _Daughter?!_ "

Oby was holding himself up to keep the staff from choking him with one hand and pointed at Erza with the other, "Behind you."

The red-haired woman whirled and left Oby pinned there, her staff just in the air and keeping him held with his feet off the ground, "Erza?!" Erza's eyes went wider than saucers as she registered what the woman and Oby had said, "Mom?!"

==Meanwhile, Magnolia==

Grimoire Heart's airship was hovering over the Fairy Tail Guild Hall after Zera had teleported it halfway across Fiore to arrive within seconds of getting Makarov's request for a meeting. She appeared in the Guild Hall right next to him unannounced and quickly spotted the pictures in his lap. Her eyes bugged out as she realized what Makarov had the instant he realized she was there, " _Is that my mom?!"_

==Back With The Flying Dragon Squad==

Everyone stared as Erza was promptly pulled into a tremendous to the point of smothering hug by the woman claiming to be her mother, and now that they were side by side everyone could see the resemblance. "Nobody piss that woman off!" Oby barked as he struggled to free himself from the staff keeping him pinned three quarters of the way up the wall, "She's probably the strongest wizard in Fiore right now! Me included!" Everyone immediately looked at her with renewed respect and took a concerted step back, even Laxus, who was sitting down, scooted his chair back.

Irene cast a venomous glare over her shoulder at Oby as he finally teleported out of the staff's grip, "Maybe you should have _thought about that_ , _BEFORE_ you kidnapped my daughter!" "Considering you were fresh out of a bout of insanity which made you a danger to yourself, everyone around you and _especially_ Erza," Oby replied as he landed, "I think it was a wise choice to remove the temptation from your path."

Irene suddenly started to glow with crimson power that made everyone in the area aware of just exactly how powerful she was. _Holy crap she_ _ **IS**_ _stronger than Oby…_ Erza thought in horror as Irene growled, "Don't. You. **DARE.** Bring that up." Oby opened his mouth to protest and was suddenly sent sailing as the staff swung like a golf club and slammed him rolling sideways across the floor. When Oby stopped rolling he was upside down, "Smack me around all you like, it doesn't change what you and I both know to be true. You would've left her at the exact place we took her to! I was using my time magic, I know _exactly_ what was going to happen, and this timeline we're in now is a thousand times better than it would've been if we hadn't intervened!"

Erza suddenly broke away from Irene's grip and stepped towards him, looking confused, upset and distraught, "Oby, what are you talking about?" Oby's eyes met hers and he immediately covered his, "Please don't look at me like that. I know it was wrong now, but Master Precht and I were honeslty trying to help y…" He trailed off and then covered his mouth in horror at having revealed Hades's real name.

Erza frowned, "Precht?" Laxus frowned, "Wasn't that the name of Fairy Tail's second Guild Master?" Then his eyes widened as he heard Oby's thoughts and he sat forward, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN FAIRY TAIL'S SECOND MASTER WAS THE FOUNDER OF GRIMOIRE HEART?!"

Oby was as pale as his hair and trembling, utterly frozen in fear. Everyone stared except for Irene who was glaring. Finally Mirajane stepped forward, "Oby, what is going on? Who is this woman? Why is she claiming to be Erza's mother and that you kidnapped Erza?"

"He never wanted anyone to know," Laxus said quietly with his face shadowed, "Now I see Oby. That's why you try so hard to be a hero. To be everyone's favorite. You're trying to cover it up aren't you? What you really are." A frigid wind suddenly blew through the room and the hair on the back of Elena's neck stood on end, "Is it snowing outside?"

==Heartfilia Manor==

Ultear's eyes widened with horror as the rain suddenly turned to snow midair, "Oh no…" Sorano's eyes went wide as the temperature plummeted to the point where her words were accompanied by puffs of white steam, "What the heck does _that_ mean?"

Ultear gulped, "It means a whole lot of the guild just found out about those things Oby never wanted anyone to know…"

Gajeel sniffed, "What's that smell? It's like rotten ice cream…" Juvia stared, "Oby…what's going on?" Then the temperature plummeted as Irene asked coldly, "Why don't you show them your real face _demon?"_ Then she snapped her fingers and Oby screamed as the wind suddenly rose to a howl.

==Magnolia, Under the Fairy Tail Guild Hall==

Zera's eyes were wide in wonder as she rested her hand on the massive lacrima known as the Fairy Heart and Makarov stared between the two blonde girls, one alive and well, and one frozen forever in stone, "Mom…" Makarov's only thought was, _Oh Master Precht, what did you do?!_


	16. Chapter 16: Choice

Chapter 16 – Choice

==With The Flying Dragon Squadron==

The wind howled through the tavernroom like icy knives, biting into the flesh of everyone present and screaming like a tortured soul in the depths of hell. Outside the rain had become fist sized hail, hammering down upon the world like a storm of hammers. Lightning flashed blue in the clouds providing the only light as the thunder roared like a raging dragon and the clouds blocked every speck of light from the sky above.

The candles and lanterns in the room were snuffed out as the freezing biting wind tore through it, plunging its inhabitants into darkness. Nobody made a sound except for one person. Oberon screamed as though he was being torn apart in the warring red and blue lights surrounding him, providing the sole light in the room as his magic battled with Irene's.

Slowly, the red began to overpower the blue, spreading through it like blood tainting a clear blue stream. As the first tendril touched Oby, his screaming intensified, and with every extra point of contact he screamed louder until his howls of anguish drowned out the wind his magic had brought forth. Soon he was completely wreathed in red light, and his screams became something otherworldly, far from human and a thing heard as much in the mind and soul as the ears.

For a moment, there was nothing but the red light and Oby's pained form suspended screaming above the ground, then the crimson light flashed blindingly bright, and all was darkness as silence suddenly filled the room like a smothering blanket. Even the storm outside was suddenly silent, as though the entire world was holding its breath. The only sound for several moments was the frightened heartbeats of those present pounding in their ears, nobody dared breathe in the terrible darkness.

Then there was a cough, a nasty wet cough, followed by the sound of retching and liquid hitting the floor. There was a bit more coughing and a wheeze, then a distorted version of a voice so many knew cut through the darkness and rasped, "Please, no lights…you need…" he coughed again and those who cared for him felt their hearts clench as they heard him hacking up what had sounded horribly like blood, "to hear…before you see…just…just give me a moment to compose myself…"

Then there was a thud and a pained hiss followed by another coughing fit. They could hear him spit something out and drag himself across the floor, something sounding like snakes moving along with him. A few moments later, there was another thud and Oby's hands sparked ever so slightly with blue in the midst of his black Sky God Slayer magic as he set about healing himself, but anyone could see that there were far too many things moving for it to be just his hands.

Then Irene coldly declared, "No, you're not getting off the hook that easily demon." She snapped her fingers and a dim crimson light bathed the room in red, revealing a pale twisted form covered in gaping wounds sitting on the floor leaned against the wall rendered even more grotesque by the unnatural light filling the room. Its body was mostly human in shape and it was wearing tattered pants and jacket with taloned hands laying limp at its sides. There was a mass of pale writhing flesh wreathed in black magic wriggling around it and its much too wide mouth with much too sharp teeth was leaking glistening dark blood at the corners. A pair of long wicked looking black horns sprouted from a head of hair that was like snowy spikes of ice and as he cracked glowing blue eyes, Oby asked quietly, "Couldn't even let me face them with a strong front your majesty?"

"You're asking the wrong person for sympathy," Irene replied coldly, "you will get no mercy from me." Oby coughed and glared weakly at her, "I wasn't expecting any. Get on with it. Nobody interfere, she has to get all that pain and rage out or she won't be able to heal. So come on Dragon Queen," his face twisted into a grin worthy of a demon, " _BRING IT ON._ "

Irene's face twisted into something very nasty and as she proceeded to unleash all the pain and hatred she had for him, Laxus raised a hand to still the others watching and restrain them to keep them from jumping in, quietly declaring, " _No._ Oby can handle this or he wouldn't have told us to stay back. He wants all of you to stay back and safe, if you draw her attention she's liable to lash out at you and nobody else here has the power to withstand her attacks like Oby." He glanced over his shoulder at Oby's howling form as crimson power crackled and exploded through the room, "He's trying to get her to use up all her power on hurting him so that she can't get at us. If you can't stand it, don't watch, but he knows what he's doing taking this bullet for us. Don't disrespect his wishes by getting yourselves hurt trying to help him."

Erza could only watch as Irene blasted Oby again and again, "You big idiot…" she whispered with tears in her eyes. Then Laxus froze and electricity started roiling around him as he turned towards Irene, "I'm sorry, WHAT?!" "I agree," Oby snarled as he suddenly shrugged off the crimson lightning that was torturing him, his wounds all suddenly snapping shut as the red light in the room suddenly turned blue.

Everyone else looked back and forth between the two. "What just happened?" Gajeel asked quietly. "Irene just decided to torture Oby to death and then kill all of Fairy Tail for being affiliated with him," Laxus declared in a tone of frosty rage. Erza's eyes went wide, "What?!"

"Needless to say," Oby added, "We're not letting that happen. I was perfectly willing to let you take out your pain on me Irene, but the instant you thought of bringing my friends and family into it, you done goofed." Irene took a step back, raising a hand towards Laxus and Oby each, her eyes flickering between them, "You two fools think you can face me? I could lay waste to this entire country and still have enough power to do it again a dozen times over without breaking a sweat!"

Laxus and Oby locked eyes for an instant and then nodded. Suddenly the room was filled with blinding light and choking darkness as Laxus and Oby brought their hands together in identical gestures and spoke in unison, "For the sake of our family we will conquer any foe. None may threaten those we hold dear. To those who dare threaten our guild we will show no mercy!" A blinding light appeared between Laxus's hands and a darkness so deep it seemed to devour the light around it erupted between Oby's, then they clapped their hands, "FAIRY-" "GRIMOIRE-" " **LAW!** "

Irene had just a moment to realize how bad a mistake she had made and then a massive emerald light slammed down on her through the ceiling. It raged for what seemed like an eternity, bathing the whole world green. When it finally let up, there was a massive hole in the ceiling, and Irene was lying face down on the ground and deathly still. Oby and Laxus panted as they glared at the still figure on the ground. There was a stunned silence for what seemed like a long time and then Irene laughed and everyone felt a chill run down their spine.

Irene rose laughing, "Is that all you two've got?! You honestly thought you could beat me with such-" **_POW!_** Erza rubbed her knuckles with an irritated look as Irene went flying with a bruise already forming on her jaw, "Shut up Mom."

Oby grinned as Irene crashed into the bar, "Nope!" "We were holding _waaay_ back so that Erza could get close enough to deck you herself," Laxus added with a grin. Erza smiled thinly, "Thanks guys, mom or mud, nobody threatens Fairy Tail."

Irene stared at them in shock, "You, you hit me…" Erza turned an imperious gaze on Irene, "Even if you are my mom, even if Oby did kidnap me out from under you as a baby, he is still my friend and Fairy Tail is still my home. Nobody is going to take my friends or my home from me. You can accept that and join us, or we can pretend we never met and go our separate ways. It's your choice. I've made mine."

Irene stared in silence and then asked in quiet shock, "You would…choose them…over me?" "I don't want to have to choose," Erza said quietly with her fists clenched and gaze downcast, "I've wanted to meet you my whole life, but I have a family who I love and who love me back. I'd like nothing more than for you to be a part of that family, but if the cost _is_ my family, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. If you can't accept that I'm a Fairy Tail wizard, that I love Fairy Tail and everyone in it with every fiber of my being, then you're rejecting everything I am, and I will never accept someone like that as my family."

Irene reached up and rubbed her jaw as she stared at her daughter, "I see." She lowered her head and a shadow covered her eyes, "All that time I searched for you, so much suffering and pain…and you don't care…"

"That's not what she said at all!" Mirajane shouted, prompting everyone to look at her, "She said she wants you to stay here with her! Not drag her off to who knows where! Pay attention! Gods you're denser than she is!" she finished with her arms crossed, "Erza's too nice to not care."

Everyone blinked and then Erza frowned, "I'm not sure if I should thank you or punch you for that Mira." Mirajane stuck her tongue out at Erza with a small grin in answer. Erza smiled as she understood the message and launched across the room to tackle Mirajane, "FLAT-CHESTED BITCH!" Mirajane grinned and threw a punch into her face before rolling and kicking her off so that she tumbled head over heels into a wall with enough force to shake it, "THUNDER THIGHS!"

Oby and Laxus grinned as they got the idea. The world suddenly shifted as the Fairy Tail wizards, Elena, Juvia, Gajeel, and Irene were all transported to the Guild Hall. Before anyone could realize Oby had moved them, the Kreeg Team and all of Fairy Tail's wizards from across the kingdom came falling out of the air.

Laxus whistled and shouted with a big smile as he raised a fist over his head, "FAIRY TAIL! IT'S RUMBLE TIME!" "PAAAAAAAAARRR-TAY!" Oby roared delightedly as he proceeded to throw a table at Laxus. In seconds, the Guild Hall had devolved into a massive free for all brawl as the Fairy Tail wizards gleefully did what they did best, with Phantom Lord's three Dragon Slayers and the Seven Kin of Purgatory quickly diving in as well. Irene could only sit on the bar and watch in shock as her daughter and the people she had claimed as her family proceeded to go all out trying to beat each other senseless.

A few moments later Makarov came strolling down the bar and sat next to Irene, "So, I suppose you're looking to join?" Irene blinked down at him after tearing her eyes away from the spectacle before her, "What?" Makarov gave her a level look, "This is how the guild welcomes new members, with a huge fight, and then a huge party. They kind of bleed into each other."

A slightly punch drunk Erza and Mirajane staggered out of the crowd supporting each other, each with a mug in hand. They raised their mugs with gleeful grins, "Fill 'er up Master!" Makarov calmly lifted a barrel of mead in each hand and filled the mugs. Mirajane and Erza downed their drinks in unison and then gleefully went back to pulverizing each other before disappearing into the crowd.

Irene stared at the spot where they had been and jumped when Makarov caught a naked boy out of the air, "Hang in there Gray! Go show em what you're made of and reclaim your underwear!" Gray realized he had been punched clean out of his boxers as Natsu waved them overhead in victory laughing. Gray bellowed in indignation and dove back into the fray.

A moment later Oby crashed into the wall behind the bar upside down and then flipped back upright and yelled with delight, "AZUMAAAAA!" He howled with laughter as he charged his old sparring buddy and proceeded to send everyone in his way flying.

Before long Gildarts and Ur had come over to the bar and sat down to observe the merriment with smiles. They looked over, "So you must be the new member?" Ur asked with a smile. Gildarts nonchalantly caught a flying upside down Natsu with a smile, "Hey Natsu! How's it going?" "Totally awesome!" Natsu declared with a grin, "Have you met Erza's mom yet? She's crazy strong! Even Oby said so! You wanna fight?!" Gildarts smiled, "Really? That's quite a testimony! And sure!" He proceeded to launch Natsu like a baseball and laughed as the young Dragon Slayer bowled over nearly a dozen people in his flight.

Ur smiled up at Irene as Gildarts dove into the fray after Natsu, "So you're Erza's mother? I see the resemblance! She's a fine young girl, we're all terribly proud of her." Irene smiled slightly, "Yes, it, seems she is." Then she was quiet as she picked out her daughter happily brawling away with the rest of her guild.

==Six Hours Later==

Irene gently shook Erza's shoulder to wake her from where she was slumped against Mirajane and the wall, "Erza honey? Please wake up." Erza groggily came to, "Huh? Wha…" Then she realized it was Irene standing over her and sat bolt upright, "Mom!" Irene nodded with a small smile, "Yes. I was wondering if you could step outside with me a moment, there's something I want to show you."

Erza hesitated and then Mirajane cracked an eye and grumbled, "Go on Erza, I'm awake and if she tries to pull anything funny I'll have the whole guild down on her before she knows what's happened." Erza nodded, "Thanks Mira. Sorry about your eye." Mira grinned at the mention of her black eye, "Sorry about your face. I was trying to pound it into a nicer shape for you." Erza smirked as she rose, "Maybe next time." Mirajane laughed quietly, "Yeah, maybe next time."

Erza smiled and then followed Irene out the back door. Irene paused for a moment to look up at the moon with a small smile as Erza walked up next to her. "So what did you want to show me?" Erza asked cautiously. Irene looked down at her with a smile and brushed her cloak back off her shoulder to reveal a blue Fairy Tail emblem just like Erza's, "I can see how happy this place makes you, so I only have one request." She knelt down so she could look Erza in the eye, "Can I still be your mother?" Erza's face broke into a smile and she burst into tears as she lunged forward to wrap Irene in a hug, "Yes! Yesyesyesyes!"

Oby and Mirajane smiled from where they were propped in the doorway as Irene and Erza went walking down the lakeshore hand in hand and then Oby looked over at Mirajane, "You're sad." Mirajane's smile faded and she looked down at the floor as she turned to prop her back against the door with a sigh, "Yeah. Laxus tried to tell me that nobody cares what kind of magic I use, that everyone still loves me, and, after a good brawl party like that it's easy to think so but…" She bit her lip and stared at the ground.

Then a taloned finger gently lifted her jaw up to meet a pair of glowing pupiless blue eyes and a smile that was literally ear to ear. "Mira," Oby said in his oddly distorted voice, "Of course we love you. It wouldn't matter if you truly were a demon like me, it's never about what you are, what matters is who you choose to be. You chose to join Fairy Tail, and that means we all choose to love you, no matter what. Besides, do you remember what _my_ reaction was to your Satan Soul the first time I saw it?"

Mirajane snorted slightly with a small smile, "Didn't you get a huge nosebleed and blush all pink and look like you wanted to jump my bones right then and there?" Oby smiled brightly, "I still would you know! You're still beautiful and brilliant and sweet, even if you are constantly trying to cover up how sweet you are," he added with a sly grin. Mirajane laughed quietly, "Oh hush, you know I'm too young for that. Yes I know you're a time wizard and you can fix that, but we both know that's not the same ya big perv."

 _Oh no, ERZA's the perv,_ Oby told her through a mind link with a grin. Mirajane's jaw dropped, "You…and Erza?" She looked as though her brain had broken for a moment and then she howled with laughter, "OH I BET CANA WAS SO _PISSED!"_ Oby chuckled, "Yep, and then she and Erza canceled whatever dibs they had on me not long afterwards, so I'm available again. Not that I knew I wasn't…" he added. Then he and Mirajane both looked into the dark interior of the Guild Hall as a quiet _"_ _YES!_ " rang through the silence. "Apparently we're being listened to," Oby told Mirajane quietly.

A wicked little grin crossed Mirajane's face and she softly called into the dark Guild Hall, "Alright nosy, listen to _this!_ " She grabbed Oby by the lapels and immediately started making out with him, not bothering at all to conceal her little moans of pleasure as Oby returned to his human form and began enthusiastically making out with her as well. "You're so bad," Oby told her quietly when they came up for air. Mirajane grinned and shot a glance into the Guild Hall, "HA! Gotcha Sorano!"

Oby looked and sure enough Sorano was halfway across the building, easily identifiable by the fact that she was quite literally glowing like a lantern with envy and indignation. Mirajane quickly whispered something in Oby's ear and Oby's eyebrows rose, "Are you sure?" Mirajane's grin was pure wicked mischief, "It'll be _sooo_ totally worth it just to see the look of embarrassment on her face!"

A second later Oby was holding a very startled Sorano in his arms beneath the moonlight, "Was that jealousy I heard?" He asked with a playful smile. Then he kissed her and just as she was happily melting in his arms, she heard a click and saw a flash. Sorano was immediately as white as her hair as she realized Mirajane had a camera and a huge mischievous grin as she tried to hold in the howl of laughter. Sorano opened her mouth to say something but Mirajane cut her off with a mocking grin, "Ah-ah-ah! This _is_ what you wanted wasn't it? I even got you a picture to commemorate it. Aren't I nice?" Then she couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing.

Sorano snorted at her irritably and then sighed before looking back up at Oby. A smile grew on her face, "Yeah, it was." Oby smiled and kissed her deeply, "My pleasure!" Mirajane finished laughing and then exhaled quietly with a smile as she watched Oby and Sorano make out and thought back to her own kiss, _Thank you Oby. One day, maybe I'll be able to kiss you like that more often. For now though…_ she looked back in at her sleeping guild mates, _I need to work on patching up my relationships with everyone else._ She looked down at her clothes, _Maybe I should change my outfit…_ A yawn overtook her and she headed inside, _First though, I really need to sleep…those brawls can really take it out of a girl…_ She let her ponytail down, shook her hair out and settled down against a column to sleep.

 **AN:** _Okay, so I know you're probably wondering about what exactly happened between Irene and Grimoire Heart. I can't tell you yet, but after the current Kreeg/Mattachu arc ends, we'll be having an entire arc of flashback/prologue explaining a lot of what's been hinted at throughout the story thus far._


	17. Chapter 17: Reboot?

The Reboot is coming! The Reboot is coming!

...

Sooner or later.

(scratches head apologetically)

Makarov looked at Oby from where he was sitting cross legged on the bar, "Sooo…let me get this straight. You combined your time magic with Archive and that allows you extrapolate every possibility to the point where you can see alternate dimensions where every possible combination of events and choices that did not happen in our world instead did?"

Oby took a drink, and looked at Makarov through red rimmed eyes, "Yep. *HIC!*" He hiccuped and Mirajane raised an eyebrow at him, "Are you sure you're not just drunk?"

Oby shook his head, "I wouldn't be drunk right now if I hadn't cracked that. To put it in simple terms Mira, I just cracked the Invincibility Threshold. I can now read the future with one hundred percent accuracy and plan for every eventuality. Even beyond that though," he took a long, looooong drink and drained his mug before plonking it on the bar as he slumped across it, "I can't bring myself to be really _motivated_ by anything! I know I'm going to win in the biggest possible manner no matter what I do, and even if I don't, there's another world where I did!"

Mirajane opened her mouth to argue that, and then closed it as she pondered what Oby had said. "On top of that," Makarov mused, "How will we ever keep the readers interested?"

Oby turned a stunned gaze on him, "Did you just break the fourth wall?" Makarov shrugged, "Why not? We're being rebooted, might as well get our yuks in while we can." Mirajane smiled, "Good point Master!" Then she yanked Oby into a kiss.

Makarov waves at you as the screen irises out, "Goodnight everybody, sleep well and come see us again some time! Bye!"

 **THE END**

 **(Until the reboot)**


End file.
